Israel’s foreign minister has called for the death of Yahya Sinwar, the newly appointed leader of Hamas.
This comes as Israel braces for Iranian retaliation after killing a commander of Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon and Sinwar’s predecessor in Tehran last week..
Foreign Minister, Israel Katz said on X that the appointment of Sinwar, who he called an arch-terrorist, “is yet another compelling reason to swiftly eliminate him and wipe this vile organization off the face of the earth.”
Ismail Haniyeh, the former leader of Hamas, was assassinated on July 31. Although Iranian leaders blamed Israel and threatened to retaliate, Israel has not taken responsibility for the killing.
However, Katz claimed that Hamas had sent “a clear message to the world that the Palestinian issue is now completely controlled by Iran and Hamas” when it appointed Sinwar, one of the masterminds of the terror attack on Israel on October 7, as its new leader.
Katz also said Israel must maintain security control over the Israel-occupied West Bank in order to prevent Iran from establishing another “extremist stronghold.”
The Israeli military has conducted repeated raids in the West Bank that it says are aimed at disrupting militant activity and potential attacks against Israel.
Since the start of the Gaza conflict in October, Israeli fire in the West Bank has killed over 600 people.
With Hezbollah’s leader also pledging to respond to Israel’s execution of one of its commanders, Fouad Shukur, last week in Beirut, international concerns have intensified over the likelihood of a wider regional battle.
Israel has pledged to annihilate Hamas in retribution for the October 7 terror attack, which killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 250 hostages.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israel’s counteroffensive has killed almost 40,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom are women and children, with Israel claiming that the death toll includes thousands of Hamas fighters.
