The Israeli military said it killed Sinwar in an operation in Rafah on Wednesday. "After completing the process of identifying the body, it can be confirmed that Yahya Sinwar was eliminated," it said. The Hamas leader was sighted while hiding with a group of Hamas gunmen, and was killed as he was trying to escape, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari said. Hagari said the Israeli forces did not know Sinwar was hiding there.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the killing of the Hamas leader “a pivotal moment”.

“While this is not the end of the war in Gaza, it’s the beginning of the end. To the people of Gaza, I have a simple message. This war can end tomorrow. It can end if Hamas lays down its arms and returns our hostages,” he said.

Hamas is holding more than 100 hostages in Gaza, who are citizens of 23 countries, Netanyahu said, affirming that Israeli military operations in Gaza will continue until all goals have been achieved.

Hamas has not madeany comment regarding the news of its leader’s death. Yahya Sinwar was the second senior leader of Hamas to be killed in the last few months. His predecessor Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in the Iranian capital Tehran on July 31.