On October 18, 2023, reports emerged that the Israeli military confirmed the killing of Hamas leader Yehya Sinwar. In response, U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke over the phone and issued separate statements regarding the development.

According to CNN, the Israeli Prime Minister’s office released a statement saying that after confirming Sinwar’s death, Netanyahu and Biden agreed on the significance of the moment, believing it presented an opportunity to negotiate a prisoner exchange agreement. They committed to working together towards that goal.

Biden commented to reporters, “I told Netanyahu that we support his actions, and now is the time to move forward.”

Furthermore, Reuters reported that following the announcement of Sinwar’s death, Biden stated, “DNA testing has confirmed Sinwar is dead, and Hamas no longer has the capability to launch another attack like the one on October 7.” He added that the U.S. had provided intelligence to assist Israel in targeting Hamas leaders.

On the other hand, the Times of Israel reported that Netanyahu took to social media to describe Sinwar’s death as “the beginning of the end of the Gaza war.” He emphasized, “This war can end tomorrow if Hamas lays down its arms and returns our hostages.”

Earlier, in a recorded video message, Netanyahu asserted that there was still work to be done, vowing that Israel would continue its operations until the hostages were freed.

On October 17, the Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet security agency released a joint statement confirming that Yehya Sinwar was killed during an Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip. As of now, Hamas has not issued a response.