Hamas leader’s death provides opportunity for ceasefire – Harris

The US Democratic candidate believes Israel’s killing of Yahya Sinwar could pave the way to ending the Gaza conflict

The killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by Israel has created an “opening” for ending the war in Gaza, US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has claimed.

Sinwar, who assumed full leadership of the Palestinian militant group in August, was assassinated by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) earlier this week in southern Gaza. Hamas officially confirmed his death on Friday. He was widely regarded as the key architect of the surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which triggered the IDF’s invasion of the Palestinian enclave. The US has also accused Sinwar of blocking a potential ceasefire deal.

During a press briefing before a campaign event in Detroit on Saturday, Harris was asked to assess the risk of losing the November election amid the continued fighting in Gaza, which has brought “a lot of churn and turmoil within the Arab-American and Muslim communities” in Michigan, a battleground state with the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the country.

“There are so many tragic stories coming from Gaza,” Harris replied, noting that an “extraordinary number of innocent Palestinians have been killed.”

“And then fast-forwarding to today with the killing of Sinwar... This creates an opening that I believe we must take full advantage of to dedicate ourselves to ending this war and bringing the [Israeli] hostages home.”

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“As it relates to the issues in the Middle East and in particular in that region, it has never been easy,” she said in response to a reporter’s suggestion that the White House has so far not been effective in its mediation efforts.

Members of the Muslim community, activists, and the progressive wing of the Democratic Party have harshly criticized Harris and President Joe Biden for not cutting military aid to Israel in order to stop the “genocide” in Gaza. The issue continues to be crucial for the campaign, as recent polls indicate that Harris and her rival, former President Donald Trump, are effectively neck-and-neck, with Harris slightly leading in Michigan.

Israel has said that it will not sign up to a ceasefire before the threat of Hamas is completely eliminated, and has vowed to continue military operations in Gaza.