JERUSALEM/CAIRO - Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a mastermind of the Oct 7, 2023, attack that triggered the Gaza war, has been killed by Israeli forces in the Palestinian enclave, Israel said on Oct 17.

His killing marks a huge success for Israel and a pivotal event in the year-long conflict. Western leaders said his death offered an opportunity for the war to end, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it would go on.

The Israeli military said it had killed Sinwar in an operation in the southern Gaza Strip on Oct 16.

“After completing the process of identifying the body, it can be confirmed that Yahya Sinwar was eliminated,” it said.

There was no immediate comment from Hamas, but sources in the militant group said that indications from Gaza suggested Sinwar had been killed in an Israeli operation.

In Israel, families of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza said they hoped for a ceasefire now to bring home the captives but also feared their loved ones were in greater danger.

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