President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and other U.S. political leaders expressed their satisfaction on Oct. 17 after hearing the news of the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in an Israeli military operation. “I called [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] to congratulate him on getting Sinwar,” Biden told reporters upon his arrival in Berlin, Germany for a state visit. “He had a lot of blood in his hands. American blood, Israeli blood, and others.”
Hamas has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government since 1997, and Sinwar was officially named on its Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT) list in 2015.
Sinwar, who has been the top Hamas figure in Gaza since 2017 and chairman of the Hamas political bureau since August, was seen by Israel as the mastermind behind the invasion that took place on Oct. 7, 2023. During this invasion, Hamas gunmen carried out killings and kidnappings across southern Israel resulting in approximately 1,200 deaths and thousands more wounded.
Israeli forces have been working to end Hamas’s control over Gaza for over a year now while also trying to recover those taken captive during the invasion more than a year ago.
Biden described Sinwar’s death as removing “an insurmountable obstacle” to reaching a political settlement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but acknowledged that there is still much work ahead.
The Biden administration sees this development as an opportunity to advance towards a cease-fire agreement to end the ongoing Gaza war.
Republican political leaders also celebrated Sinwar’s death with House Speaker Mike Johnson stating that it brings hope for those seeking freedom while Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell commended Israel for imposing costs on its adversaries.
Iran has shown support for Hamas over the years both financially and militarily. Sinwar’s predecessor Ismail Haniyeh was killed while visiting Iran in July.