Sinwar killing 'beginning of end' of Gaza war - Netanyahu
· RTE.ieThe Israeli Prime Minister has said the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is the "beginning of the end" of the war in Gaza.
"Yahya Sinwar is dead. He was killed in Rafah by the brave soldiers of the Israel Defence Forces," Benjamin Netanyahu said in an English language video statement released by his office.
"While this is not the end of the war in Gaza, it's the beginning of the end."
The statement came after Israel said that its forces had killed Yahya Sinwar in an operation in southern Gaza on Wednesday.
He was a mastermind of the 7 October 2023 attack that triggered the war in the Palestinian territory.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah said it has launched a new phase in its war against Israel, claiming it used precision-guided missiles against troops for the first time.
Israel has been pounding south and east Lebanon, areas where the militant group holds sway, since 23 September.
The rivals have engaged in close-range combat in Lebanese border villages after Israel launched a ground invasion last month.
Hezbollah "announces a transition to a new and escalatory phase in the confrontation with the Israeli enemy, which will be reflected in the developments and events of the coming days," the group said in a statement.
"Hundreds of fighters ... are fully prepared to counter any Israeli ground incursion into southern Lebanese villages," the group added, noting that attacks against Israel have increased in recent days.
It said its rocket strikes continue "to escalate day by day," with "precision-guided ones ... being deployed for the first time".
Israel killed Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike on the Lebanese capital Beirut on 27 September.
It has repeatedly called for the group to be pushed away from the border to ensure its citizens could return to their homes in northern Israel.
Earlier, Hezbollah politician Hassan Fadlallah said the Israeli army was not fully in control of any village in south Lebanon.
'A good day'
US President Joe Biden and European leaders meeting during his farewell visit to Germany today are expected to renew calls for a Gaza ceasefire.
While still on Air Force One, Mr Biden hailed the death of the man Israel blames for the October 7 attack as a "good day", saying it removed a key obstacle to a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal.
Mr Biden's meetings in Berlin are expected to address the conflict pitting Israel against Hamas and its Hezbollah allies, including the risk of a wider escalation with Iran.
Mr Biden said yesterday that he would "congratulate" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but also "discuss the pathway" for securing the release of hostages and "ending this war once and for all".
"There is now the opportunity for a 'day after' in Gaza without Hamas in power, and for a political settlement that provides a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike," he said.
Speaking in Brussels yesterday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said "there is a proposal from President Biden and others as to what such a ceasefire could look like and we fully support that".