US will redouble efforts to end Gaza war after Sinwar’s death: Secretary Blinken

Blinken, who released a statement, said that the Hamas leader had rebuffed the efforts made by US and its allies for a ceasefire and a hostage return deal in recent months.

By: Express Web Desk

Updated: October 18, 2024 03:24 AM IST

3 min read

The US State Department also issued a statement on Hamas leader Sinwar’s killing and said that Sinwar’s vision for the Middle East included "death, destruction, instability, chaos”. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra, File)

The confirmation of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s death by the Israeli military could pave the way for ending the Israel-Gaza war as the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that America will push harder to end the war in Gaza along with its regional partners and chart a new path ahead.

Blinken, who released a statement after the reports of Sinwar’s killing got confirmed, said that the Hamas leader had rebuffed the efforts made by US and its allies for a ceasefire and a hostage return deal in recent months.

The October 7, 2023 attacks by Gaza based Hamas militant group on Israel led to the deaths of over 1,200 people while 250 others were taken hostage. The United States, in the past months, was trying to strike a deal between Hamas and Israel and freeze the hostilities in the Middle East.

Secretary Blinken, in the statement said, “In the days ahead, the United States will redouble its efforts with partners to end this conflict, secure the release all hostages, and chart a new path forward that will enable the people of Gaza to rebuild their lives and realize their aspirations free from war and free from the brutal grip of Hamas.”

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Blinken also spoke with his Arab counterparts, including Qatar’s prime minister and Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister while traveling alongside President Joe Biden to Germany.

A demonstrator holds a sign about the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar during a protest calling for a cease-fire deal and the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in Tel Aviv, Israel. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

The US State Department also issued a statement on Hamas leader Sinwar’s killing and said that Sinwar’s vision for the Middle East included “death, destruction, instability, chaos”.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, in the press briefing, added that “The horrors of the past year cannot be the future, and they do not need to be the future. It is time to chart a different path.”