After Sinwar’s death, will the pressure on Netanyahu increase to end the Gaza conflict?

Benjamin Netanyahu: The assassination of Israel’s ‘enemy number one’ Yahya Sinwar is being seen as an achievement for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, the assassination of the Hamas leader may prove to increase their problems further. In particular, the pressure on them to end the war may increase. Israel has been struggling for the last one year. Gaza’s 101 hostages have not yet returned home and fighting is still going on in Gaza. It is believed that all these hostages are still in Gaza.

On October 7, 2023, about 1200 people were killed and more than 250 people were taken captive in Hamas attacks on Israel. Israel had named Sinwar as the strategist of this attack. Meanwhile, the Jewish nation started fighting with Hezbollah in Lebanon. From Yemen’s Houthis to Iran, they are not only supporting Hezbollah and Hamas but are also carrying out military actions against Israel. Netanyahu himself described Sinwar’s death as ‘the beginning of the end’ of the conflict spanning Lebanon and Yemen.

If Hamas surrenders its weapons, the war will end!
Netanyahu insisted that the conflict could end if Hamas surrenders its weapons and returns the 101 Israelis and foreigners held hostage in Gaza. On the other hand, Hamas has made it clear that their fight will not end as long as the attacks on Gaza Strip continue. The Palestinian group also said that the return of the hostages will be possible only when the Israeli army withdraws from the Palestinian areas.

Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas leader, said in a video message that Hamas is becoming stronger and more popular with the elimination of its leaders. It hurts to lose people, especially a unique leader like Yahya Sinwar, but we are confident that we will win in the end. According to Israeli media reports, Al-Hayya said that the people held hostage in Gaza will not be released until the attacks stop and Israeli forces withdraw from the Palestinian territory. Some of Netanyahu’s hardline political allies, including Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, are insisting that Israel should not stop until Hamas completely surrenders.

The only way to achieve peace is to defeat your enemies
Netanyahu and large sections of Israel have been of the view that the only way to achieve peace is to defeat their enemies, even if this means angering their allies. Netanyahu resisted pressure from hostage families and world leaders including US President Joe Biden for months and continued the war. The deaths of several Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, including Sinwar, were seen by many as Israel’s refusal to bow to international pressure.

Will the war end after Sinwar’s death?
The number of people in Israel is increasing who believe that there is no point in prolonging the war. According to Reuters, Jerusalem resident Erez Goldman said, “I think Netanyahu said the right thing last night.” Give us the hostages and when all the hostages are back, we will leave. However, the war will end with the death of the Hamas leader. Karmiel Arbit, non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, told Reuters that Sinwar’s death alone does not guarantee the conditions necessary for Netanyahu to declare an end to the war, as many expect. There is no point wasting time now, said Daniel Lifshitz, whose grandfather Oded Lifshitz is still being held hostage in Gaza. This is an opportunity that we may never get again.

Nearly 42,500 people died in Gaza Israeli attacks
Amit Solvi, president of Kibbutz Beri near the Gaza Strip, also said that the opportunity provided by Sinwar’s death should be taken advantage of and turned into a diplomatic agreement. However, everything will now depend on the new leader of Hamas and his strategy. Israel has earlier said that after the elimination of Hamas in Gaza, it will retain security control over Gaza.

Israeli operation is still going on in Gaza. According to an October 19 report by Al Jazeera, at least 33 Palestinians were killed and more than 80 were injured in an Israeli attack on the Jabaliya camp in northern Gaza. According to the report, at least 42,500 people have been killed and 99,546 injured in Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 7, 2023.

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