Pentagon Says Hamas Leader Death Opens Chance for Ceasefire

By Jim Morris, Warrior Vice President, News  

The Pentagon welcomed the death of killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza – but made it clear that US forces were not directly involved in his death. 

   It was announced Thursday that Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces during a patrol in the Gazan city of Rafah. Troops were searching for Hamas members when, thanks to a drone that flew into a half-destroyed building, they discovered a man sitting in a chair who threw what appeared to be debris at the drone. Minutes later, Israeli forces shelled the building. 

   Hours after that, Sinwar’s body was identified by DNA, dental and fingerprint records.  

   “This clearly a significant development and a major counterterrorism achievement,” said Major General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary. “And so it does present an opportunity here for a ceasefire. It presents an opportunity for the release of all the remaining hostages and of course, we’ll continue to work toward that end.” 

   At a briefing for reporters, Ryder was asked if US special operations forces provided any intelligence that led to Sinwar’s killing. 

   “The short answer is no,” Ryder replied. “This was an Israeli operation. US forces were not directly involved. Again, as we’ve highlighted, we’ve had a small number of special operations forces that have been advising the Israelis on hostage recovery efforts.” 

    Ryder said that in a terrorist organization, the leader can be killed but can be quickly replaced. Still, “I don’t think you can discount the significance, again, from a counterterrorism standpoint, the role that Sinwar has played in leading this organization, also as the architect, so to speak, of the October 7^th Hamas attack against Israel. It’s significant that he’s been taken off the battlefield.”