Sinwar's death could aid hostage release, war goals: Netanyahu

The killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar could positively affect the release of Israeli hostages and help achieve Israel's war objectives, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said. Sinwar's death could "positively influence the return of the hostages, the achievement of all war goals, and the post-war reality", Netanyahu said while meeting with visiting US secretary of state Antony Blinken, according to a statement released by the prime minister's office.

The "friendly and productive" meeting in Jerusalem, in which the two discussed the "governance framework in Gaza for the day after the war", lasted two-and-a-half hours, the statement said on Tuesday.

A press release by the US department of state showed that Blinken "reaffirmed the United States' ironclad commitment to Israel's security" during the meeting, Xinhua news agency reported. Following the meeting, Blinken wrote on social media platform X that he and Netanyahu "talked about the importance of seizing this opportunity to end the conflict in Gaza, return all hostages, and chart a path to lasting peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike".

Israel has launched a massive offensive against Hamas in Gaza to retaliate against a Hamas attack on the southern Israeli border on 7 October 2023, during which about 1,200 Israelis were allegedly killed and around 250 taken hostage.

The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 42,718, the Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Tuesday. Sinwar was killed in an Israeli attack on southern Gaza in mid-October.

The government media office in Gaza has announced that over 770 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,000 injured after 19 days of Israeli attacks on Jabalia in the northern part of the enclave, Al Jazeera reports.

The media office statement said more than 200 civilians, including women, have been “kidnapped”, and dozens more remain missing amid communications challenges. “We express our fear that they may have been executed in the field, as has been done on many previous occasions,” the statement said.

More than 100,000 injured and ailing in northern Gaza are in “urgent need” of assistance, which is hard to find owing to the Israeli army's "destruction" of the health system and four hospitals in the area, the office said.

Al Jazeera also reports that the Palestinian Civil Defence in Gaza has released a video purportedly showing Israeli soldiers opening fire on emergency responders as they reacted to the bombing of a family home in the al-Fakhoura area of Jabalia.

"The video shared on Telegram shows emergency responders rummaging through debris at night, only to be forced into cover after being targeted by live ammunition. In the morning, bullet holes could be seen in their vehicles, including a fire truck," the Al Jazeera report said.