Yahya Sinwar’s death is a victory – but Israel will only know security when it lives in peace with those around it
The IndependentThe statement issued by Sir Keir Starmer on the confirmation of the death of Yahya Sinwar admirably sums up the sober way that all decent people will have received the portentous news: “As the leader of the terrorist group Hamas, Yahya Sinwar was the mastermind behind the deadliest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust, as 1,200 people were slaughtered in Israel. In contrast to previously targeted assassinations of Israel’s adversaries, with Sinwar, the Israeli forces got lucky. Sinwar’s end represents only one of the Israeli government’s war aims – and while the release and return of hostages remains unfulfilled, there will be no end to the fighting. Israel, it is fair to say, “eliminated” Yahya Sinwar, as they put it, while acting in self-defence – there can be no doubt that this Hamas commander would have done the same again and again without any care for the Israeli and Palestinian people who would subsequently perish as a result of his murderous scheming.