LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Israel's military spokesman Daniel Hagari delivered this news to Israelis and the world late last night.
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DANIEL HAGARI: Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas terrorist organization who was responsible for the October 7 massacre, is dead.
FADEL: Yahya Sinwar was the head of the Palestinian group Hamas and was Israel's No. 1 most wanted man in Gaza. He's considered the mastermind of the attack last year that killed 1,200 people in Israel, according to the Israeli government, and sparked a response from Israel that's killed more than 42,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza health officials. The military says Sinwar was killed in Rafah in the south.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
We're joined now by Hadeel Al-Shalchi in Tel Aviv. So we just heard from Israel's military spokesman. How did they wind up killing Sinwar?
HADEEL AL-SHALCHI, BYLINE: So the Israeli military has been after Sinwar for exactly a year since the attacks of October 7, but then he ended up being killed by chance. The military said on Wednesday forces fired shells at a building they'd seen three Hamas militants run into, the building collapsed, and that's when troops said they found the body later identified as Sinwar's lying there in the rubble with a bulletproof vest, grenades and surrounded with just over $10,000 in cash. You know, this is the latest high-profile killing of a Hamas leader after two other key leaders were killed over the summer. And, of course, it brings up that important question - who will now take over Hamas?
His right-hand man so far has been his brother, Mohammed Sinwar, who's involved in the military side of things. But there are also others, you know, who have been active outside of Gaza representing Hamas in Qatar and Turkey for years, like Khaled Mashal or Hamas' deputy chairman Khalil al-Hayya. And then Hamas confirmed Sinwar's killing on Friday, sounding defiant in a statement, saying that Israel killing its leaders doesn't mean the end of the Hamas movement. And the group also called his death, quote, "painful and distressing," but that Sinwar is now an icon for the Palestinian people.
MARTÍNEZ: OK. Now, mentioned that you're in Tel Aviv. What's the reaction there been like?
AL-SHALCHI: Right, so on the streets here in Tel Aviv, I heard some celebration. There was clapping, cheering, music blasting. And then the families of the hostages held in Gaza said they hoped that this would finally open the door to releasing their loved ones. And then Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke last night, saying that his ultimate obligation was to bring back the remaining hostages. There's about 101 people left, dozens who are still believed to be alive. And then Netanyahu spoke to the people of Gaza.
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PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: While this is not the end of the war in Gaza, it's the beginning of the end. This war can end tomorrow if Hamas lays down its arms and returns our hostages.
AL-SHALCHI: But in Gaza itself, the tone was mixed. We heard from Palestinians there who called Sinwar a martyr and mourned him. And then others expressed relief he was gone and had their own message for Netanyahu - OK, now that you've killed Sinwar, end the war and let us go back to our homes.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah, right? I mean, that's the big question, right? I mean, will this now end the war in Gaza? Do we know anything about that?
AL-SHALCHI: Right, exactly. So actually, that was the main message of President Biden last night. He said, quote, "now is the time to move on." Basically, it's time to breathe new life back into the cease-fire talks, which have been stalled for weeks. So a former Israeli military intelligence officer told me yesterday there could be some optimism here. Michael Milstein said Israel and the U.S. have long argued that Sinwar has been the main obstacle in reaching a deal, but some Hamas leaders based outside of Gaza have always been a little bit more willing to give and take.
As for Netanyahu, he's been at the mercy of his right-wing partners who've threatened they'll topple his government if Israeli troops withdraw from Gaza. So some Palestinian analysts are saying reaching a deal is in Netanyahu's hands. What does he want? And what does Israel want?
MARTÍNEZ: NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi in Tel Aviv. Thank you very much.
AL-SHALCHI: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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