Israel and Palestinians react to the death of Hamas leader Sinwar

Upon the news that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar – the mastermind behind the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel – had been killed, many Israelis rejoiced and danced in the streets.

But their deaths at the hands of Israeli forces in Gaza on Wednesday have raised concerns for the families of the 101 hostages still held by Hamas.

Meanwhile, some Palestinians believed that Sinwar’s killing would bring an end to the disastrous years war in gaza,

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says at least 42,500 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military offensive in Gaza. This follows Hamas attacks on Israeli communities on October 7 last year, which left nearly 1,200 people dead and the group taking 251 hostages.

People in Israel were overwhelmingly supportive of Sinwar’s assassination In an accidental encounter with Israeli soldiers,

In Tiberias, in northern Israel, several hundred people danced at the news, waved flags and played loud music.

“It’s great”, Nissim Weizman, sitting outside a grocery store in the town, told the BBC.

“He is a bad man and his time has come. This is a gift to everyone. Both the Palestinians who are with us and the Jews as well.”

At a beach just south of Tel Aviv, bathers cheered and applauded when a lifeguard first announced rumors of the death over a loudspeaker.

But others were more cautious, wondering what impact Sinwar’s killing would have on the prospects for the release of Israeli hostages who are being held by Hamas in Gaza.

“I feel a little numb, to be honest,” Anat Ron Candle told Reuters news agency in Tel Aviv.

“I am deeply concerned for the hostages, and trust and hope are very difficult to find.

“And I always think about, what if that was me, [it] Could that have been my son who was with me?”

Family members of the 101 hostages still remaining in Gaza gathered in Tel Aviv after the news.

They have been protesting for months, urging the Israeli government to reach a ceasefire agreement with Hamas to bring their relatives back home.

Einav Zangoukar, whose son Matan was taken hostage, urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “Don’t bury hostages.”

“Now go to the mediators and the public and outline a new Israeli initiative,” he told Reuters.

“If Netanyahu does not seize this moment and does not rise up now to take a new Israeli initiative – even at the cost of ending the war – it means that he has made efforts to prolong the war “has decided to release the hostages and consolidate his rule.”

In Gaza, some Palestinians said they believed Sinwar’s death could open a path toward ending the war, adding that it would give Israel “no reason to continue this genocide “.

“They always said they wanted to eliminate Sinwar to stop this war,” Ali Chameli told Reuters.

But the reality on the ground since his killing is “completely the opposite,” Jemaa Abu Mendy said.

Speaking to AFP news agency, he said, “The war has not stopped and the killings continue.”

Speaking in the city of Khan Yunis, which is largely in ruins due to a year of bombardment and fighting, Dr. Ramzan Faris said the outcome of war does not depend on the fate of any one person.

“This is a war of extermination against the Palestinian people, as we all know and understand,” he said.

Khan Younis was also accompanied by Lina Anuni, who had fled Gaza City with her three children a year earlier.

“I protested [Sinwar] As long as he lived, I held him equally responsible for the Israeli occupation as well as my suffering and that of 2.3 million Palestinians,” she told the BBC.

“Nevertheless, I felt a sense of sadness at his passing,” he said.

One person, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the BBC World Service’s Gaza Today program that although there were “differing opinions” about the former Hamas leader, his death would not change things for people in Gaza.

“I do not believe this will change the dynamics of the conflict,” he said, citing other senior Hezbollah and Hamas figures. Like Hassan Nasrallah last month – This resulted in “fundamentally nothing” changes.

“Instead, tensions have escalated further, leading to greater concerns for us as Palestinians,” he said.

Some Palestinians described Sinwar as a martyr.

Yusuf Jamal, who said he supported the October 7 attack on Israel, said: “He [Sinwar] “Did not hide among the displaced, seek refuge with enemy prisoners, or retreat into tunnels.”

Yahya Sinwar, 61, was said to have spent most of his time hiding in tunnels with a small team of bodyguards and “human shields” of hostages seized from Israel.

But Reports indicate that he died in a gunfight with an Israeli patrol in southern GazaNo hostage was found with him.