Biden says Sinwar's death is an “opportunity” for a hostage trade and an end to the war in Gaza

BERLIN (AP) — President Joe Biden said Thursday that the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by Israeli troops was a “good day for the world,” calling it an opportunity to free hostages held by the militant group and the years To end the war in Gaza.

“Now it’s time to move on. … Move toward a ceasefire in Gaza and make sure we move in a direction where we can make things better for the whole world,” Biden told reporters as he made a brief visit to Berlin arrived. “It’s time for this war to end and these hostages to be brought home. We are ready for this.”

U.S. officials expressed measured optimism that the killing of a militant whom national security adviser Jake Sullivan called a “massive obstacle to peace” could breathe new life into ceasefire talks that have failed to achieve a breakthrough for months despite regular signs of progress.

“There have been no negotiations to end the war in recent weeks because Sinwar has refused to negotiate,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters. “We see an opportunity now that he has been removed from the battlefield and from the leadership of Hamas, and we want to take advantage of this opportunity.”

Biden spoke by telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to congratulate him on the mission that killed Sinwar. They also discussed “how to use this moment to bring the hostages home and end the war, ensuring Israel's security and never allowing Hamas to control Gaza again,” it said a summary of the call from the White House.

However, Netanyahu said on Thursday that “our war is not over yet.” In addition to calling for the hostages' release, Netanyahu said Israel must maintain long-term control of Gaza to ensure Hamas does not rearm – opening the possibility of further fighting.

Biden said he would send Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel in the coming days.

In an earlier statement, the president compared the reaction to Sinwar's death to the mood in the United States following the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

He said the killing of the mastermind of the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel “proves once again that no terrorist anywhere in the world can escape justice, no matter how long it takes.”

The inability to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and return the hostages has weighed on negotiators from the start. Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages in Israel in the attacks that sparked the war. About 100 hostages are still in the Gaza Strip, about a third of whom are believed to be dead.

The Israeli retaliatory offensive has destroyed large parts of the Gaza Strip and killed more than 42,000 Palestinians. Gaza's health ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but says more than half of those killed were women and children.

The U.S. has been working with fellow mediators Egypt and Qatar on a ceasefire proposal since the war began a year ago and has sent Blinken and other envoys to the Middle East several times to unsuccessfully try to broker a deal.

Last month, on Blinken's 10th trip to the region since the start of the Gaza war, he left out Israel and glossed over optimistic predictions of a breakthrough.

“Sinwar has repeatedly rejected efforts by the United States and its partners in recent months to end this war through an agreement that would return the hostages to their families and ease the suffering of the Palestinian people,” Blinken said in a statement on Thursday.

The stalled progress and seemingly conflicting priorities have created tensions in the relationship between Biden and Netanyahu, as the Israeli leader's promise of a “total victory” against Hamas clashes with U.S. officials' concerns about numerous civilian casualties in Gaza collided. Israeli leaders portrayed Sinwar's killing as a moment for Hamas' surrender.

The Biden administration had also urged an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah to prevent the possibility of an all-out war in the Middle East, before changing its message after Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike and a ground attack had pushed ahead with the invasion of Lebanon.

Biden said that after Sinwar's death, “there is now the possibility for a 'day after' in Gaza without Hamas in power and for a political solution that offers a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike.”

He praised U.S. special forces and intelligence officials who advised Israeli allies in tracking and locating Sinwar and other Hamas leaders over the past year – even though the U.S. said the operation that killed Sinwar was an Israeli one.

Sullivan said Sinwar's removal from the battlefield presents an opportunity to find a path forward that will bring the hostages home.”

“Now we must work to ensure that his death actually delivers the long-term blow to Hamas that we would all like to see,” he said.

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Miller reported from Washington. AP reporters Matthew Lee and Eric Tucker contributed from Washington.