Sinwar killing represents an 'inflection point' for possible Gaza ceasefire, White House says

By Jeff Mason

BERLIN (Reuters) - Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was the chief obstacle to securing a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict and his killing by Israel's defense force creates an "inflection point" that could accelerate talks to wind down the war, White House spokesperson John Kirby said.

Sinwar was the architect of the group's cross-border raids on Oct. 7, 2023, that became the deadliest day in Israel's history and triggered the Gaza war. His killing marks a huge success for Israel and a pivotal event in the yearlong conflict.

"We believe, continue to believe, that finding an end to the war is critical, and we also believe that Mr. Sinwar's death ... can provide an inflection point to getting there," Kirby said.

Despite the U.S. optimism, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised on Friday to press on with Israel's wars in Gaza and Lebanon, suggesting the Sinwar killing will do little to halt the fighting, at least in the short term.

Months of efforts by the United States, Israel's chief backer, to broker ceasefires with Hamas and Hezbollah have failed as Israel has pressed on with its wars, and archfoe Iran has appeared to be largely unable to match Israel's military might, including U.S. weapons.

Kirby said ceasefire talks are not underway and he had no timetable for them to begin again.

"I wish I could tell you today that we're getting the teams back together in Doha, and we're starting afresh," Kirby said. "That's not where we are right now."

(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Jarrett Renshaw; editing by Jonathan Oatis)