The death of Yahya Sinwar is Israel’s biggest victory so far in the war against Hamas in Gaza.
His death is a major blow to Hamas, the organization he transformed into a fighting force that inflicted the biggest defeat in the history of the State of Israel.
He was killed not during a planned special forces operation, but during a chance encounter with Israeli troops in Rafah in southern Gaza.
A photo taken at the scene shows Sinwar, dressed in combat gear, lying dead in the rubble of a building hit by a tank shell.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, praised the soldiers and made it clear that no matter how great the victory, it was not the end of the war.
“Today we have once again made it clear what happens to those who harm us. Today we have once again shown the world the victory of good over evil.
“But the war, my dear ones, is not over. It is difficult and it costs us a lot of money.”
“There are still great challenges ahead of us. We need endurance, unity, courage and steadfastness. Together we will fight, and with God’s help – together we will win.”
Netanyahu and the overwhelming majority of Israelis who support the war in Gaza needed a victory.
The prime minister has often repeated his war aims: to destroy Hamas as a military and political power and to bring the hostages home.
Neither has been achieved, despite a year of war in which at least 42,000 Palestinians have been killed and much of Gaza is in ruins.
But the remaining hostages are not free, and Hamas is fighting and sometimes killing Israeli troops.
Killing Sinwar was the victory Israel wanted. But until Netanyahu can claim that the other war aims have been achieved, the war, as he says, will continue.
Yahya Sinwar was born in 1962 in a refugee camp in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip. He was five years old when it was captured by Israel from Egypt in the 1967 Middle East war.
His family was among the more than 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were forced from their homes by Israeli forces in the 1948 war that won Israel its independence.
His family came from the city now known as Ashkelon, which lies close to the northern border of the Gaza Strip.
In his 20s, he was convicted by Israel for the murder of four Palestinian informants. During his 22 years in captivity, he learned Hebrew, studied his enemy and believed he had figured out how to fight them. His time in prison also meant that Israel had his dental records and a sample of his DNA, which meant they could identify his body.
Sinwar was released as one of more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners exchanged for a single Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, in 2011.
On October 7 last year, in a meticulously planned series of attacks, Sinwar and his men inflicted Israel’s worst defeat ever – and a collective trauma that is still deeply felt.
The murder of some 1,200 Israelis, the hostage-taking and the celebration of their enemies reminded many Israelis of the Nazi holocaust.
Sinwar’s own experience with a prisoner swap must have convinced him of the value and power of taking hostages.
In Tel Aviv, families of the remaining 101 hostages in Gaza — Israel says half of them are already dead — gathered in the square where they have been gathering for a year, urging the Israeli government to start new negotiations to bring their people home.
Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, appealed to the prime minister.
“Netanyahu, don’t bury the hostages. Go to the mediators and the public now and present a new Israeli initiative.”
“For my Matan and the rest of the hostages in the tunnels, time is up. You have the victory photos. Come up with a deal now!”
“If Netanyahu does not seize this moment and does not stand up now to present a new Israeli initiative – even at the cost of ending the war – it means that he has decided to leave the hostages behind in an attempt to prolong the war and strengthen his rule.
“We will not give up until everyone returns.”
Many Israelis believe that Netanyahu wants to prolong the war in Gaza to delay judgment for his part in the security failures that allowed Sinwar and his men to infiltrate Israel, and to postpone, perhaps indefinitely, the resumption of his trial on serious corruption charges.
He denies those charges and insists that only what he calls “total victory” in Gaza over Hamas will restore Israeli security.
Like other news organizations, Israel does not allow the BBC to enter Gaza except for rare, escorted trips with the army.
In the ruins of Khan Ysuni , Sinwar’s birthplace, Palestinians interviewed for the BBC by local trusted freelancers were defiant. They said the war would continue.
“This war does not depend on Sinwar, Haniyeh or Mishal, nor on any leader or official,” said Dr. Ramadan Faris.
“It is a war of extermination against the Palestinian people, as we all know and understand. The problem is much bigger than Sinwar or anyone else.”
Adnan Ashour said some people were sad and others indifferent about Sinwar.
“They are not just after us. They want the whole Middle East. They are fighting in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen… This is a war between us and the Jews since 1919, more than 100 years.”
He was asked if Sinwar’s death would affect Hamas.
“I hope not, God willing. Let me explain: Hamas is not just Sinwar… It is a people’s cause.”
The war is raging in Gaza. Twenty-five Palestinians were killed in an attack on northern Gaza. Israel said it hit a Hamas command center. Doctors at the local hospital said the dozens of wounded they were treating were civilians.
Parachuting of aid supplies resumed after the Americans said Israel should allow more food and aid in.
Every Hamas leader since the 1990s, except one, has been killed by Israel, but there has always been a successor. While Israel celebrates Sinwar’s death, Hamas still holds hostages and continues to fight.