Everyone has seen the news by now that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar—the mastermind of the October 7th massacre—is dead. Israeli soldiers eliminated him last week in southern Gaza. Yahya Sinwar was one of the most evil men of our lifetimes; he was the Osama Bin Laden of Gaza. The world is a better place without him.
Sinwar’s death is an opportunity for Hamas to end the horrible war that Sinwar started when he sent thousands of Hamas terrorists into Israel on October 7th, intending to kill as many people as they could and take as many hostages as they could. Now is the time for the whole world to pressure Hamas to free the hostages, surrender, and relinquish power. Hamas has lost the war, and all that’s left is for it to acknowledge that and not prolong everyone’s suffering. Sinwar’s death is a big blow to Hamas, but it’s not the end of Hamas. Anyone who wants peace must ensure that Sinwar’s death leads to the end of Hamas in power and the dismantling of Hamas’s terrorist army.
Calls for a ceasefire with Hamas are calls to leave Hamas in power. We’re not going back to October 6th. Hamas was the government of Gaza on October 7th; it cannot be the government of Gaza again. Gaza cannot be rebuilt with Hamas’s war machine still in power. The apparent leader of Hamas right now is its former leader, Khaled Meshaal, who lives in Qatar. Western countries have leverage, and Qatar must be pressured to extradite Meshaal to face justice and to press him to formally surrender and end the war that Hamas started.
Request for International Support
I need your help. Yahya Sinwar is dead, but 101 Israeli hostages are still in Gaza. We have a chance to get them out. The Prime Minister of Israel made an offer to Hamas that everyone should hear: whoever lays down his weapon and returns our hostages, we will allow him to go out and live. Israel has offered amnesty to Hamas terrorists holding hostages in exchange for releasing them.
Here’s where I need your help: I’m looking for Palestinians who have told Hamas to take the offer. Palestinian President, Palestinian Authority officials, Palestinian diplomats, Palestinian civil society leaders—are any of them publicly urging Hamas to surrender, release the hostages, and end the war Hamas started? I can’t find anyone; maybe you can help me. Let me know in the comments.
Ongoing Conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon
As I speak to you now, the war against Hezbollah in Lebanon continues. One hundred rockets were fired today—it’s only 3:00 p.m. in Israel. One hundred rockets so far today were fired from Lebanon into Israel. Sirens are constantly going off, and Israelis are running to their shelters. Yesterday, Hezbollah fired over 100 rockets and suicide drones in a series of attacks. A man was killed by shrapnel from a rocket attack near the city of Akko, and one of the suicide drones targeted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home in Caesarea, over 40 miles from Lebanon. The Prime Minister and his wife were not home at the time. Despite the heavy blows to Hezbollah’s leadership, the threat from Hezbollah’s terrorist army in Lebanon remains.
Diplomats from many countries are trying to end the war, but they aren’t succeeding. Here’s a lesson in how not to do diplomacy. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said five steps should be taken with regard to Lebanon. There’s one step missing—see if you can spot it. Here are the five items on his list:
- An immediate ceasefire.
- The rapid election of a president.
- The implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and the exclusive deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces in the South.
- A more robust mandate for UNIFIL.
- The delivery of needed humanitarian aid.
The one thing he forgot to call for is peace. It’s really that simple—the goal is peace. Israel and Lebanon should be living side by side in peace as good neighbors. A better future is possible. The main obstacle to this peace is Hezbollah and the Iranian regime that supports it. You may have noticed that Borrell didn’t mention Hezbollah by name in his list. Why are so many of the world’s diplomats so bad at diplomacy? If you know the answer, let me know in the comments.
Q&A Section:
Q1: Is it true that Hezbollah’s Deputy Leader Naim Qassem fled Lebanon and is now living in Iran?
If this report is true, it makes total sense for several reasons. First, Hezbollah’s senior leadership has been systematically targeted by the Israeli Defense Forces, making it unsafe to be a Hezbollah leader at the moment. After a year of war, Hezbollah’s leaders are targets and feel the pressure. It would make sense for a high-ranking leader to relocate to a safer place, such as Iran, where they’re harder to reach. From Iran’s perspective, they may want to protect their investment in Hezbollah, especially as the group is at risk in Lebanon.
Q2: Iran has downplayed its responsibility for Hezbollah’s drone attack on the Israeli Prime Minister’s house. Do you think Iran knew Netanyahu’s house was a target?
Yes, I do. Iran often tries to distance itself from Hezbollah when it’s convenient, but remember, Iran is at the core of Israel’s multi-front war. Hezbollah likely wouldn’t have entered this conflict on October 8th without Iran’s approval. The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officers in Lebanon coordinate closely with Hezbollah. It’s difficult to believe that such a sensitive target as the Prime Minister’s home would be chosen without Iranian knowledge or coordination.
Q3: Were Israel’s plans for an attack on Iran leaked by U.S. intelligence?
There are reports today about sensitive information being leaked from the U.S. regarding Israel’s preparations for an attack on Iran. This is concerning, and it’s hoped that any issues around this are resolved. Regardless, the United States and Israel need to have a unified understanding of the threat posed by Iran and its proxies. Israel has no choice but to defend itself, and any differences between the U.S. and Israel should be addressed quietly.
Q4: Is Saudi Arabia moving closer to Iran, as reported by the New York Times?
Much has changed over the past year. Before October 7th, Saudi Arabia was open to normalizing ties with Israel, and the Abraham Accords had laid the groundwork for peace with multiple countries. However, Iran and its proxies, including Hezbollah and Hamas, have waged a war to disrupt this peace effort. Saudi Arabia is close to Iran geographically, so it’s understandable that it’s weighing its options. However, Saudi Arabia has shown a preference for U.S. security guarantees and has previously supported normalization with Israel.
Closing Remarks
That’s all the time we have today. Thank you for submitting questions. If you have more, find me on social media at Daniel Rubenstein. This has been the live daily briefing from the Israeli Citizen Spokesperson’s Office. We’ll be back tomorrow at 3 p.m. Israel time, 8 a.m. Eastern. Have a wonderful day.
