Biden, Harris say Yahya Sinwar's death 'can help end Gaza war'

U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris said on Thursday that the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar set the stage for the return of Israeli hostages and an end to the war in Gaza.

"I will be speaking with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders to congratulate them, to discuss the pathway for bringing the hostages home to their families, and for ending this war once and for all," Biden said.

Speaking on the sidelines of campaign events for her 2024 presidential campaign in Milwaukee, Harris reinforced the point.

"This moment gives us an opportunity to finally end the war in Gaza," Harris said.

"We see an opportunity now that we want to seize to try to secure the release of the hostages," said Biden national security adviser Jake Sullivan. "We will have to work to ensure that his death actually does deal the kind of long-term blow to Hamas that all of us would like to see."

It was not immediately clear how Washington intended to restart efforts to secure the release of hostages and obtain a ceasefire.

In recent weeks, the Biden administration has publicly blamed Sinwar for stalling talks but has privately also doubted Netanyahu's willingness to do a deal.

Reuters