Washington [US], October 18: US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar's death marks a moment of relief for Israelis while providing the opportunity for a "day after" in Gaza without the group in power.
"Yahya Sinwar was an insurmountable obstacle to achieving all of those goals. That obstacle no longer exists. But much work remains before us," Biden said in a statement.
"I will be speaking soon with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders to congratulate them, to discuss the pathway for bringing the hostages home to their families, and for ending this war once and for all, which has caused so much devastation to innocent people.," Biden said.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that the US will redouble efforts in the days ahead to end the war on Gaza following the apparent killing of Sinwar in Gaza.
"On multiple occasions over the past months, Sinwar rebuffed efforts by the United States and its partners to bring this war to a close through an agreement that would return the hostages to their families and alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people," Blinken's statement said, repeating the US's long-held claim that efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement failed due to the residence of Hamas and Sinwar.
Blinken joins President Biden and presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris in saying that Israel must use Sinwar's killing to bring a swift end to the war.
These statements come as the US continues to provide Israel with the weapons that are killing dozens of Palestinians daily.
Source: Qatar Tribune