On Thursday, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar had been killed. Katz referred to Sinwar as a “mass murderer” responsible for the October 7 massacre and said he was killed by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers.

According to two officials familiar with the matter, Israel’s security cabinet was informed that Sinwar, who masterminded the October 7, 2023, attack that ignited the Gaza conflict, is highly likely among the dead. The Israeli military is still working to confirm if Sinwar, considered Israel’s most wanted adversary, was one of the three militants killed in an operation in the Gaza Strip. Hamas has not commented on the situation.

Amid these developments, Israeli families of hostages held by Hamas expressed hopes for a ceasefire that could bring captives home, while Gaza residents anticipated the war would continue.

Israel has been conducting airstrikes and ground operations with the goal of dismantling Hamas. On Thursday, strikes in northern Gaza killed 19 Palestinians, including children, at a school in the Jabalia camp, which was sheltering displaced individuals, according to a Gaza health ministry official.

Sinwar, who became Hamas’ leader after the assassination of political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July, was believed to be hiding in Hamas’ network of tunnels beneath Gaza. His confirmed death could potentially intensify hostilities across the Middle East, where the likelihood of a broader conflict has increased. Israel has recently launched ground operations in Lebanon and is preparing to respond to an October 1 missile attack carried out by Iran, a Hamas and Hezbollah ally.