After the Hamas leader was shot dead, the US once again pushes for a cease-fire in Gaza

The United States said it would push for a cease-fire in Gaza after Israel killed Hamas leader Sinwar. The attack sparked a year-long war against Palestinian enclaves. Israel says it will continue fighting until all hostages taken by Hamas are released.

US President Joe Biden said he will send Secretary of State Brinken to Israel as part of efforts to end the war. “Now is the time to move on,” Biden told reporters after arriving in Berlin, Germany. “Keep moving towards a cease-fire in Gaza.”

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said earlier, “The task ahead of us has not yet been completed.”

The Israeli military said that there had been no news of Sinwar for several weeks. He was shot dead in southern Gaza on Wednesday. This appears to have been a coincidence. A person familiar with the incident said that during routine patrols, the Israeli military discovered suspicious activity inside a building. A tank opened fire at the location, and Israel did not realize until Thursday that Sinwar was one of the targets being shot dead.

Sinwar's death left Hamas without a clear successor. This also means that while the world is preparing for Israel's anticipated retaliation against Iran's October 1 missile attack, Israel successfully carried out another assassination operation after assassinating Hamas political leader Haniya in July and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah (Hassan Nasrallah) last month.

The Israeli currency, the shekel, rose on Friday to its highest level since September 26. The currency is trending upward for the second week in a row as investors bet that Israel's victory against its rivals will shorten the Middle East war. The options market is also signaling a calm return, and the currency's implied monthly volatility is trending downward for the second straight week.

Hours after Israel confirmed Sinwar's death, Netanyahu described it as “good over evil,” but did not announce the end of the war. Armistice negotiations led by the US, Qatar, and Egypt have been stalled for months.

Israel accuses Zinwal of planning an attack on northern Israel by Hamas militants on October 7 last year. Israel's response was a war dominated by air strikes, which destroyed much of Gaza and killed at least 42,000 people.

The Iran-backed organization Hezbollah began firing rockets a day later. Israel retaliated with air strikes, mainly targeting the organization's infrastructure. Last month, Israel launched a ground invasion and continued air strikes against Lebanon to eradicate Hezbollah.

One possibility of taking over Hamas is Sinwar's deputy, Khalil al-Hayya (Khalil al-Hayya), who is based in Doha, the capital of Qatar, and has been leading indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel. Other Arab commentators speculate that Sinwar's brother Mohammed Sinwar, one of the top commanders of the Kassan Brigade, might be a contender.

French President Emmanuel Macron said, “The military operation needs to end. After this action, a cease-fire must be accepted in Gaza.” He implicitly criticized the US, which is the main supplier of weapons to the Israeli military, despite the rising number of civilian casualties.

He said, “Those providing arms to lead actions against Gaza have a special responsibility and cannot continue to provide weapons that allow this excessive amount of weapons while calling for a cease-fire.”

“For the Israelis, taking over Sinwar has always been the key to being able to claim success,” said Dennis Ross, a former White House envoy to the Middle East during President Clinton's term. He is now a researcher at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy Research. “So now Israel is indeed likely to declare victory.”