Hamas mourns Sinwar, vows no hostage release until war ends

JERUSALEM, undefined — Hamas vowed Friday that it would not release the hostages seized during its October 7 attack on Israel until the Gaza war ends, as it mourned the death of its leader Yahya Sinwar.

The killing of Sinwar, the mastermind of the deadliest attack in Israeli history, had raised hopes of a turning point in the war, including for families of the Israeli hostages and Gazans enduring a dire humanitarian crisis.

But Qatar-based Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya, who mourned Sinwar in a video statement, reiterated the Palestinian group's position that no hostages would be released "unless the aggression against our people in Gaza stops".

Israeli forces pummelled Gaza with air strikes on Friday, with rescuers recovering the bodies of three Palestinian children from the rubble of their home in the north of the territory, according to Gaza's civil defence agency.

"We always thought that when this moment arrived the war would end and our lives would return to normal," Jemaa Abou Mendi, a 21-year-old Gaza resident, told AFP.

"But unfortunately, the reality on the ground is quite the opposite. The war has not stopped, and the killings continue unabated."

Sinwar was Israel's most wanted man, and his death -- announced by the Israeli military on Thursday -- deals a major blow to the already weakened group.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Sinwar's killing an "important landmark in the decline of the evil rule of Hamas".

While it did not spell the end of the war, it was "the beginning of the end," he added.

Some hailed the news of Sinwar's death as a sign of better things to come.

US President Joe Biden, whose government is Israel's top arms provider, said Sinwar's death was "an opportunity to seek a path to peace, a better future in Gaza without Hamas".

In a joint statement, Biden and the leaders of Germany, France and Britain emphasised "the immediate necessity to bring the hostages home to their families, for ending the war in Gaza, and ensure humanitarian aid reaches civilians".

Former US president Donald Trump, who is seeking a second term in elections next month, said Sinwar's death would make it "easier" to achieve peace.

Israeli campaign