Hamas confirms its chief Yahya Sinwar's death: ‘Won’t free hostages till…'

Palestinian militant group Hamas on Friday confirmed that its leader Yahya Sinwar had been killed, a day after Israel announced his death in Gaza.

"We mourn the great leader, the martyred brother, Yahya Sinwar, Abu Ibrahim," Qatar-based Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya said in a recorded video statement broadcast by Al Jazeera.

Hayya also said that Hamas would not release the captives until the war in Gaza ends.

"[The hostages] will not return... unless the aggression against our people in Gaza stops," the senior Hamas official said in his statement.

Also Read | Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel has ‘settled its account’ with Sinwar killing

Hayya also lauded Sinwar, saying that the 62-year-old leader was “steadfast, brave and intrepid” and “sacrificed his life to the cause of our liberation.”

“He met his end standing brave, with his head held high, holding his firearm, firing until the last breath, until the last moment of his life,” he told the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV, according to Al Jazeera.

“Since his early days, he was engaged in his struggle as a resistant fighter. He stood defiant behind Israeli bars, and after his release in a swap deal, he continued with his struggle and his dedication to the cause.”

Also Read | Who was Yahya Sinwar, the ‘Butcher of Khan Younis’?

Hayya said the militant group would take strength from Sinwar's killing, which he said has set him among "the leaders and symbols of the movement who preceded him".

How was Yahya Sinwar killed?

The Israeli military on Thursday announced that Sinwar was killed in a chance encounter in Rafah.

“The forces identified three terrorists who were going from home to home on the run,” Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a briefing. “Sinwar ran away alone into one of the buildings, and our forces scanned the area with a drone.”

Also Read | How did Israel track down and kill Yahya Sinwar, its 'enemy no. 1'?

Drone footage purportedly shows Sinwar alone in a destroyed apartment with a severe hand injury. The footage captures him throwing a stick at the drone before being killed.

The military then fired an additional shell at the building, causing it to collapse and killing Sinwar, Hagari said.

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