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Sinwar's Killing a Blow but Not a Death Knell for Hamas

(Washington Post) Claire Parker - Many Palestinians saw Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as an ardent defender of their cause. For Hamas, his loss is a serious setback, analysts said, but it probably won't be a death knell for the movement or bring an immediate end to the bloodshed. The group has survived the deaths of multiple leaders over the decades. Sinwar was seen by "millions of Arabs and Muslims" as "an iconic figure who dared to stand up and defy Israel," said Fawaz Gerges, professor of international relations at the London School of Economics. His death is a "painful and heavy blow for Hamas." Still, "Israel will find itself in the same place in the morning after it declared that Sinwar is dead." Israel's military campaign in Gaza, after Hamas attacked Israeli communities on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people, has laid waste to much of the enclave and severely degraded Hamas's military capabilities to the point where "Hamas today cannot attack Israel," said Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror. But Hamas has morphed into a guerrilla force and remains strong enough to "kill any substitute" in a postwar scenario, he said. "It's not going to be the end of Hamas," said Mkhaimar Abusada, a political science professor at Al-Azhar University in Gaza, who fled the territory last year. "If one leader dies, another one will pick up the fight and continue. This is what has been going on for many years." For Mohammad Abu Ghali, 27, who is living in a tent in Khan Yunis, the circumstances of Sinwar's death prove "he never laid down his weapon....His death is a source of pride for all Palestinians." However, Abeer Ghousain, 27, from Nuseirat, said, "I hope that if his death is real, it will lead to the end of the war."
2024-10-18 00:00:00
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