US President Joe Biden said after a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, October 17, that it is necessary to “move on” and end the war in Gaza after the removal of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, Axios reports.
Israeli and US officials believe Sinwar's removal creates an opportunity to resume negotiations to free hostages held by Hamas and establish a ceasefire in Gaza.
The leaders agreed that there was now an opportunity to achieve the release of the hostages and emphasized that they would work together towards this goal, the Israeli Prime Minister's office said in a statement.
The White House noted that Biden and Netanyahu discussed “how to use this moment to bring the hostages home and end the war by guaranteeing Israel's security while also ending Hamas's ability to control Gaza.” Israel confirmed the killing of Sinwar, calling him the mastermind of the deadly October 7 attack and responsible for the terrorist attacks.
Sinwar became the political leader of Hamas in early August, replacing Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Iran at the end of July. Biden has pushed for an agreement on the release of hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza and hopes for a breakthrough in negotiations before he leaves office on January 20.