UN chief hopes for Gaza cease-fire after Israel's killing of Hamas leader Sinwar

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed hope for an immediate cease-fire, following Israel’s killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a UN spokesperson said on Friday.

"I can tell you that, although he (Guterres) does not comment on events of this nature; the secretary-general is interested that this now leads to an immediate cease-fire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza,” Farhan Haq said at a news conference.

The Israeli army said Thursday that it killed Sinwar in a military operation in the Gaza Strip. Although it did not specify the location of Sinwar's death, Israeli media reports suggested the operation took place in the southern city of Rafah.

Today, Hamas confirmed its leader's death on the frontlines, calling him a “hero who fought the Israeli forces until his last breath.”

At least 42,500 people have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 99,000 injured, since Israel began its war on the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border attack, according to local health authorities.

Increasingly prohibitive Israeli restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian assistance have exacerbated the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, which even prior to the war was subject to an Israeli blockade.

Some 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas-led attack, and about 250 others were taken back to Gaza as hostages. An estimated 101 people continue to be held captive in the coastal enclave.