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Killing of Hamas Chief Sinwar Sends Shockwaves Across Middle East, Raises New Uncertainty Over Hostages
Hamas leader and Oct. 7 pogrom mastermind Yahya Sinwar addressing a rally in Gaza. Photo: Reuters/braheem Abu Mustafa
The killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who masterminded the Palestinian terror group’s Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel, has sent shockwaves throughout the Middle East, prompting concerns about retaliation and the safety of the 101 hostages still being held captive in Gaza, a former Israeli intelligence official told The Algemeiner on Thursday.
Sinwar was killed in an intense but routine firefight in the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Wednesday night, according to the Israeli military. The force that eliminated Sinwar, which was a cadet squad that was not targeting the Hamas chief, first encountered resistance when tank shells were fired at a building where suspicious figures had been observed. Despite initial pushback, including grenade attacks from terrorists inside, the Israeli forces persisted, using drones to track the movements of fleeing combatants. After further shelling, one masked figure was located by a drone, and additional fire was directed at his position. A video later released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) shows the masked figure, later identified as Sinwar, throwing a stick at the drone but missing.
It wasn’t until the following morning that Israeli forces discovered that the slain terrorist bore a striking resemblance to Sinwar. On his body, soldiers found several personal items, including a fake passport, Mentos, money, a weapon, a lighter, and an ID belonging to a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) employee.
Items found by Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s body. Photo: Israel Defense Forces
Items found by Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s body. Photo: Israel Defense Forces
Sinwar’s death comes as negotiations over a hostage release deal have stalled, in part over the deceased terror chief’s maximalist position demanding the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire, with the New York Times reporting last week that Sinwar’s “hardened” attitude had left US mediators to speculate that “Hamas has no intention of reaching a deal with Israel.” Israel, for its part, has consistently rejected any proposal that would allow Hamas to maintain control over the Gaza Strip or rebuild its military capabilities.
Israeli intelligence expert and former senior official on Arab affairs, Avi Melamed, said that the coming days will be crucial in determining the ramifications of Sinwar’s death with regard to the hostages kidnapped last Oct. 7. “Some of the people who are holding some of the hostages may take revenge and kill [them],” he warned.
On the other hand, Melamed said, Sinwar’s elimination might create new opportunities for negotiations, particularly if the Hamas leadership becomes destabilized, suggesting that “the path may now be open for some sort of arrangements or agreements” that could lead to the release of hostages.
But such an outcome is also fraught with challenges, because the hostages are estimated to be scattered across various locations in Gaza, he said, with some believed to be held by civilians rather than Hamas militants. “Even Hamas leadership, if they want to move forward, may have difficulties locating those who hold the hostages,” Melamed explained.
Israeli efforts to secure the release of hostages have been complicated by Hamas’s decentralized command structure, and the death of Sinwar introduces new uncertainty about who will succeed him as leader. While his brother, Mohammad Sinwar, is seen as a potential successor, there are conflicting reports about whether he is even alive, with some Arabic language reports saying that he was killed in the same strike that killed his brother.
Even though Mohammad Sinwar, as leader of the al-Qassam Brigades, holds significant sway within Hamas, he lacks the same level of authority, strategic insight, and influence as his brother. Yahya, as both the political and military leader in Gaza, had consolidated power across multiple facets of Hamas operations, making him a central figure both within the group’s leadership — including those in exile in Qatar — and in external negotiations. Mohammad, while influential within the military wing, does not possess Yahya’s extensive network or political clout, which could lead to internal challenges or a weakened leadership structure moving forward.
But Mohammad, Melamed stressed, is “no less brutal and psychopathic than his brother.”
Az al-Din Haddad, the commander of Hamas’s Gaza Brigade, stands as one of the few remaining high-ranking leaders within the al-Qassam Brigades, and could become a candidate to succeed Sinwar. Known for his resilience and charm, Haddad has survived multiple Israeli assassination attempts, a fact that has bolstered his standing within the organization. If Haddad were to succeed Sinwar, it would mark a shift in leadership.
Beyond the immediate hostage crisis, Sinwar’s killing also raises larger questions about broader strategic calculus, particularly regarding Iran, which backs Hamas.
“There is a connection between these things,” Melamed remarked. “One thought is this might incentivize Israel to attack Iran, while another says the total opposite, that now Israel will hold off on its plans to attack.”
According to Melamed, Israel may opt to hold off on a strike in Iran in retaliation for Tehran’s recent ballistic missile attack against the Jewish state to see whether Palestinians holding hostages will respond to the Israeli Prime Minister’s appeal for their release, which was issued shortly after the announcement of Sinwar’s death. Iranian state media are framing Sinwar’s death as an act of “martyrdom,” lauding the Hamas leader for “dying in combat” against Israel in Gaza.
Meanwhile Hamas-affiliated outlets have denied his death. The Gaza Now outlet posted a warning to its followers, stating, “Warning, the reports about the assassination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar are completely false, and the occupation’s publication and circulation of this news is an attempt to collect intelligence information, as it did previously with leader Muhammad al-Deif. Please be careful.”
The post Killing of Hamas Chief Sinwar Sends Shockwaves Across Middle East, Raises New Uncertainty Over Hostages first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself. Really?
JNS.org – If I asked you to name the most famous line in the Bible, what would you answer? While Shema Yisrael (“Hear O’Israel”) might get many votes, I imagine that the winning line would be “love thy neighbor as thyself” (Leviticus 19:18). Some religions refer to it as the Golden Rule, but all would agree that it is fundamental to any moral lifestyle. And it appears this week in our Torah reading, Kedoshim.
This is quite a tall order. Can we be expected to love other people as much as we love ourselves? Surely, this is an idealistic expectation. And yet, the Creator knows us better than we know ourselves. How can His Torah be so unrealistic?
The biblical commentaries offer a variety of explanations. Some, like Rambam (Maimonides), say that the focus should be on our behavior, rather than our feelings. We are expected to try our best or to treat others “as if” we genuinely love them.
Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, in his classic text called the Tanya, argues that the actual feelings of love are, in fact, achievable provided that we focus on a person’s spirituality rather than how they present themselves physically. If we can put the soul over the body, we can do it.
Allow me to share the interpretation of the Ramban (Nachmanides), a 13th-century Torah scholar from Spain. His interpretation of the verses preceding love thy neighbor is classic and powerful, yet simple and straightforward.
“Do not hate your brother in your heart. You shall rebuke him, but do not bear a sin because of him” by embarrassing him in public. “Do not take revenge, and do not bear a grudge against your people. You shall love your fellow as yourself, I am God” (Leviticus 19:17-18).
What is the connection between these verses? Why is revenge and grudge-bearing in the same paragraph as love your fellow as yourself?
A careful reading shows that within these two verses are no less than six biblical commandments. But what is their sequence all about, and what is the connection between them?
The Ramban explains it beautifully, showing how the sequence of verses is deliberate and highlighting the Torah’s profound yet practical advice on how to maintain healthy relationships.
Someone wronged you? Don’t hate him in your heart. Speak to him. Don’t let it fester until it bursts, and makes you bitter and sick.
Instead, talk it out. Confront the person. Of course, do it respectfully. Don’t embarrass anyone in public, so that you don’t bear a sin because of them. But don’t let your hurt eat you up. Communicate!
If you approach the person who wronged you—not with hate in your heart but with respectful reproof—one of two things will happen. Either he or she will apologize and explain their perspective on the matter. Or that it was a misunderstanding and will get sorted out between you. Either way, you will feel happier and healthier.
Then you will not feel the need to take revenge or even to bear a grudge.
Here, says the Ramban, is the connection between these two verses. And if you follow this advice, only then will you be able to observe the commandment to Love Thy Neighbor. If you never tell him why you are upset, another may be completely unaware of his or her wrongdoing, and it will remain as a wound inside you and may never go away.
To sum up: Honest communication is the key to loving people.
Now, tell me the truth. Did you know that not taking revenge is a biblical commandment? In some cultures in Africa, revenge is a mitzvah! I’ve heard radio talk-show hosts invite listeners to share how they took “sweet revenge” on someone, as if it’s some kind of accomplishment.
Furthermore, did you know that bearing a grudge is forbidden by biblical law?
Here in South Africa, people refer to a grudge by its Yiddish name, a faribel. In other countries, people call it a broiges. Whatever the terminology, the Torah states explicitly: “Thou shalt not bear a grudge!” Do not keep a faribel, a broiges or resentment of any kind toward someone you believe wronged you. Talk to that person. Share your feelings honestly. If you do it respectfully and do not demean the other’s dignity, then it can be resolved. Only then will you be able to love your fellow as yourself.
May all our grudges and feelings of resentment toward others be dealt with honestly and respectfully. May all our grudges be resolved as soon as possible. Then we will all be in a much better position to love our neighbors as ourselves.
The post Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself. Really? first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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‘Nonsense’: Huckabee Shoots Down Report Trump to Endorse Palestinian Statehood
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee looks on during the day he visits the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem’s Old City, April 18, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
i24 News – US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Saturday dismissed as nonsensical the report that President Donald Trump would endorse Palestinian statehood during his tour to the Persian Gulf this week.
“This report is nonsense,” Huckabee harrumphed on his X account, blasting the Jerusalem Post as needing better sourced reporting. “Israel doesn’t have a better friend than the president of the United States.”
Trump is set to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. The leader’s first trip overseas since he took office comes as Trump seeks the Gulf countries’ support in regional conflicts, including the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and curbing Iran’s advancing nuclear program.
However, reports citing administration insiders claimed that Trump has also set his sights on the ambitious goal of expanding the Abraham Accords. These agreements, initially signed in 2020, normalized relations between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. The accords are widely held to be among the most important achievements of the first Trump administration.
The post ‘Nonsense’: Huckabee Shoots Down Report Trump to Endorse Palestinian Statehood first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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US to Put Military Option Back on Table If No Immediate Progress in Iran Talks
US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy-designate Steve Witkoff gives a speech at the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena on the inauguration day of Trump’s second presidential term, in Washington, DC, Jan. 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
i24 News – Unless significant progress is registered in Sunday’s round of nuclear talks with Iran, the US will consider putting the military option back on the table, sources close to US envoy Steve Witkoff told i24NEWS.
American and Iranian representatives voiced optimism after the previous talks that took place in Oman and Rome, saying there was a friendly atmosphere despite the two countries’ decades of enmity.
However the two sides are not believed to have thrashed out the all-important technical details, and basic questions remain.
The source has also underscored the significance of the administration’s choice of Michael Anton, the State Department’s policy planning director, as the lead representative in the nuclear talks’ technical phases.
Anton is “an Iran expert and someone who knows how to cut a deal with Iran,” the source said, saying that the choice reflected Trump’s desire to secure the deal.
The post US to Put Military Option Back on Table If No Immediate Progress in Iran Talks first appeared on Algemeiner.com.