Israel and world's reactions: Will Sinwar killing bring back hostages?

Israel's President Isaac Herzog on Thursday called for swift action to bring back hostages held in Gaza, as he hailed the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by Israeli forces.

Herzog on social media platform X said the slain Hamas chief was the mastermind of the October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the ongoing war and "has for years been responsible for heinous acts of terrorism against Israeli civilians", also calling on Israeli leaders to "act in every way possible to bring back" the remaining hostages.

Sinwar was killed in Rafah on Wednesday after an Israeli tank launched a shell at a building, causing it to collapse. The soldiers were on a regular patrol in Gaza when they encountered a number of Hamas militants. They were not specifically searching for Sinwar.

Photos of Sinwar published by Israeli media show a man wearing a bulletproof vest, surrounded by grenades, lying in the rubble of a building with a head wound. He was not surrounded by hostages or using them as human shields when he was killed.

- Netanyahu says Israel 'settled account with Sinwar -

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel has “settled its account” with “the person who carried out the worst massacre in the history of our people since the Holocaust.”

Netanyahu addressed the families of the hostages Thursday saying it was an “important moment in the war” to bring home the hostages. He also said anyone who surrendered weapons and assisted with the return of the hostages would be allowed to leave Gaza safely.

Still, he added, “our war has not yet ended.”

- Israeli FM says Sinwar's killing 'opportunity' for swift hostage release -

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that the killing of Sinwar provided an "opportunity" to release hostages held in Gaza and to remove the militant group from the territory.

"The elimination of Sinwar creates an opportunity for the immediate release of the hostages and paves the way for a change that will lead to a new reality in Gaza, one that is without Hamas and without Iranian control," Katz said in a statement.

- Israeli defense minister salutes Israeli military for killing Sinwar -

Israel’s defense minister has hailed the Israeli military for killing Sinwar.

Yoav Gallant said Sinwar’s killing sends “a clear message to the residents of Gaza. The man who brought disaster and death to the Gaza strip, the man who made you suffer as a result of his murderous actions — the end of this man has come.”

- Israel hostage forum says Sinwar killing should help 'secure' captives' release -

Israeli campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum on Thursday welcomed the killing of Sinwar, saying his death should help "secure" the release of captives still in Gaza.

The Forum "welcomes Yahya Sinwar's elimination and urges leveraging this major achievement to secure hostages' return," it said in a statement.

- Germany urges Hamas to free hostages -

Germany's foreign minister on Thursday urged Hamas to release all its hostages and lay down its weapons after Israel said it had killed Sinwar.

Foreign minister Annalena Baerbock in a statement branded Sinwar "a cruel murderer and a terrorist". She said Hamas should "immediately release all the hostages" it seized during its October 7 attack on Israel "and lay down its arms".

- US House speaker hails death of Sinwar -

The Republican speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday applauded the killing of Sinwar, saying his death had brought "relief" to the people of Israel.

"Sinwar's life was the embodiment of evil and marked by hatred for all that is good in the world," Mike Johnson said in a statement. "His death brings hope for all those who seek to live in freedom, and relief to Israelis he has sought to oppress."

- NATO secretary-general says ‘will not miss’ Sinwar -

At a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky in Brussels on Thursday, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told reporters that Sinwar “is widely recognized as the architect of the Oct. 7th, 2023, terrorist attacks on Israel. I have condemned them, all allies have condemned them. Every reasonable soul in the world has condemned them. So if he has died, I personally will not miss him.”