Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday was “the beginning of the day after Hamas,” after confirming the death of the Islamist group’s leader and Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the Oct. 7 attacks, EFE reports.

 

“Hamas will no longer rule Gaza (…) this is the beginning of the day after Hamas, and this is an opportunity for you, the residents of Gaza, to finally break free from its tyranny,” the Israeli prime minister stated in a recorded video message.

 

In the four-minute video, Netanyahu reiterated the perceived importance of Israel’s more than year-long war in Gaza, which has left more than 42,400 Palestinians dead, and sent a message to the region, particularly Lebanon, where Israeli troops have continued a ground offensive since Oct. 1.

 

Addressing the people of the Middle East, Netanyahu said there is “a great opportunity to stop the axis of evil and create a different future.”

 

The Israeli PM insisted Sinwar’s killing makes clear to critics in Israel and abroad why his government insisted on continuing the war, “why we insisted, in the face of all the pressures, to enter Rafah, the fortified stronghold of Hamas where Sinwar and many of the murderers hid.”

 

Netanyahu also listed the names of six leaders and commanders of both Hamas and the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah killed by Israel in recent months.

 

In addition, Netanyahu also referred to the militiamen still holding 97 hostages in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, saying that anyone holding hostages will be allowed to live if they lay down their weapons and release their captives.

 

However, he added that “whoever harms our hostages, his blood will be on his head, we will have a reckoning with him.”

 

Netanyahu added that the war is not over and continues to take a heavy toll.