Sinwar death is a pivot for ending the war
Sinwar’s death should be a moment for Israel to pivot away from the war and begin the ceasefire talks.
With Yahya Sinwar’s killing, Israel has likely wiped out the top line of Hamas that planned and executed the October 7, 2023, attack. The attack, of course, sparked off the war that has now engulfed large swathes of West Asia and has left well over 42,000 Palestinians dead. Tel Aviv has also been successful in eliminating the Hezbollah leadership and a significant chunk of its ranks, weakening the Iranian proxies in the region. Both Sinwar and Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah were charismatic personalities within their constituencies and could push forward with the terror agenda of their respective organisations. The outfits are sure to feel their absence, especially with conflict demanding smooth and able leadership transitions.
That said, Hamas and Hezbollah are more than just their leaders. They represent a certain political vision that has umbilical connections with identity, territorial anxieties, and the geopolitical compass of the populations in whose names they operate. They were born in the vacuum left by the decline of the relatively secular bodies that fought for the Palestinian cause and agency of the West Asian peoples. Unless these grievances are addressed, Hamas and Hezbollah will keep growing new heads every time one is severed, and a durable peace in the region will prove elusive.
This is why Sinwar’s death should be a moment for Israel to pivot away from the war and begin the ceasefire talks. The West, especially the United States has kept providing Israel the needed diplomatic and arms cover despite anti-war posturing now and then, and the rest of the global community must prevail on Tel Aviv to pull back. Else, Israel will only have itself to blame as the region radicalises further.
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