Live updates: Israel kills Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, vows to continue war in Gaza

Hamas confirmed the death of its leader, Yahya Sinwar, in a video statement from senior official Khalil Al Hayya, who served as the militant group’s chief negotiator in negotiations for a potential Gaza ceasefire and hostage release agreement.

In a televised speech, Al Hayya said that Hamas will not release the Israeli hostages until “the aggression against our people in Gaza ceases”, Israel completely withdraws from the enclave and Palestinian prisoners in Israel are released.

Here’s what else you should know:

More details emerge: The chief pathologist who autopsied Sinwar’s body told CNN that the Hamas leader was killed by a gunshot to the head. The Israel Defense Forces had previously said nothing about its troops firing a fatal shot. Asked for comment, an IDF spokesperson told CNN that there was an exchange of fire and that the fighting ended with Israel firing a tank shell at the building. The IDF is still working to learn all the details, the spokesperson added. The pathologist also told CNN that when Israeli forces found a body similar to Sinwar’s on Wednesday, his finger was cut off and sent for DNA testing to identify him.

US response so far: US President Joe Biden said ending the conflict in the Middle East will still be difficult after Sinwar’s death. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the US could “very possibly” play a role in stabilization efforts in Gaza after the end of the war with Israel, adding that this would need to be worked out together with allies in the region.

Blocking medical organizations: The World Health Organization has accused Israel of blocking several medical organizations from entering Gaza – marking the first time that entire health agencies have been denied access to the enclave during the year-long war. The experts who were denied entry were supposed to support “already overworked” staff in carrying out medical treatments, including surgeries, at overburdened facilities such as the Nasser Medical Complex and European Hospital in southern Gaza and Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza, said the WHO. COGAT, the Israeli agency that coordinates the inspection and delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza, denied the allegations.

Gaza’s strained healthcare system: Kamal Adwan Hospital, one of the few functioning hospitals in northern Gaza, is overwhelmed by the number of patients arriving, with tired staff and without medical supplies and food, the director said. “This is a catastrophic situation in every way,” Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya told CNN in a video message. “From yesterday until now no one has slept.” Furthermore, the hospital is struggling with the number of babies born prematurely due to the stress on pregnant women due to heavy shelling in northern Gaza, he added.

Israel continues operations in Lebanon: Israel issued an evacuation warning to residents of 23 villages in southern Lebanon, urging them to move north. Some of the villages mentioned in Friday’s notice had been named in previous notices. On Tuesday, the director of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) for the Middle East said that about a fifth of Lebanon’s population has fled their homes and about a quarter of the country is under Israeli military evacuation orders. . Israel also called up “an additional reserve brigade for operational missions” in northern Israel against Hezbollah, the IDF said.