Published: 3:53am, 18 Oct 2024Updated: 3:59am, 18 Oct 2024
US President Joe Biden on Thursday hailed Israel’s killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as a “good day” for the world, saying it also removed a key obstacle to a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal.
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US Vice-President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee in November’s US election, added that Israel’s killing of the mastermind of the October 7, 2023 attacks was a chance to “finally end the war in Gaza”.
The comments reflect growing calls in Washington for a ceasefire even as it backs key ally Israel, amid tensions between Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Israel’s conduct in the conflict sparked by Hamas’s attacks.
“This is a good day for Israel, for the United States, and for the world,” Biden, who was travelling to Germany on Air Force One as the news broke, said in a written statement.
Netanyahu, speaking in Jerusalem just after the death was confirmed, said Sinwar’s death offered the chance of peace in the Middle East but warned that the war in Gaza was not over and Israel would continue until its hostages were returned.
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“Today we have settled the score. Today evil has been dealt a blow but our task has still not been completed,” Netanyahu said in a recorded video statement. “To the dear hostage families, I say: this is an important moment in the war. We will continue full force until all your loved ones, our loved ones, are home.”