JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
The leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, is dead. Israel says troops killed him yesterday in Gaza and identified his body today. Sinwar was an architect of the October 7 attack on Israel, and his death is being seen as a possible chance to end the war he started just over a year ago. NPR's Daniel Estrin is in Tel Aviv and joins us now. Daniel, what can you tell us about how this Hamas leader was killed?
DANIEL ESTRIN, BYLINE: It apparently happened completely by chance. Soldiers saw suspicious movement in a building. They shot tank fire at a building and killed three men. They had also sent a drone to see who was inside. They spotted a man whose face was covered in a scarf who threw, apparently, a stick toward that drone. They shelled the house and later, only after the fact, found out that they had killed Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas. They brought his body to a forensic lab in Tel Aviv, and Israeli police said he was identified by his dental records, his fingerprints and his DNA, which Israel had because Sinwar had spent many years in Israeli prison.
SUMMERS: Daniel, tell us, if you can, a bit about the mood now in Israel and in Gaza given what's happened here.
ESTRIN: Well, there's a lot of celebration among many Israelis. Some Israelis danced in some places. I went, though, to a rally of a few hundred Israelis who were not very happy. They were outside Israel's military headquarters. They are calling for Israel to strike a deal for the release of dozens of hostages still believed to be alive in Gaza, a deal with Hamas. I asked Michael Levy, whose brother, Or Levy, is still a hostage in Gaza, what he's feeling about Sinwar's killing.
MICHAEL LEVY: Honestly, I'm not sure. I mean, I'm obviously happy because he's one of the biggest terrorists ever, but I'm trying to think what's next, you know? My brother is still there. Now with the symbolic death of Sinwar, it's a big opportunity to seal a deal.
ESTRIN: So he's hoping this is an opportunity to seal a hostage exchange deal with Hamas. In Gaza, there was a mix of reactions. Some called Sinwar a martyr. One woman, though, told NPR that she was happy Sinwar was dead. She said Sinwar led Gaza to destruction. She said she would like to distribute sweets in Gaza to celebrate his death, but she could not afford to buy sweets thanks to Sinwar and this war. Another man didn't give his name. He didn't want to get in trouble with Hamas. But he told us that he hoped this would mean that he could finally rebuild his life.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Non-English language spoken).
ESTRIN: He said his message to Israel was, Sinwar is now dead, so end the war.
SUMMERS: Well, what about that, Daniel? Is an end to the war likely?
ESTRIN: You know, it will take Hamas some time to choose a successor. The group does have some more moderate leaders than Sinwar was. Sinwar is considered a hard-liner. And the next leader of Hamas might be interested in reaching a deal to end the war. There's also a question of Netanyahu's willingness to end the war. Today in a speech, he said the war is far from over. He has his own political considerations. His far-right government still wants to continue the war in Gaza. But Sinwar's killing could be this symbolic win that Netanyahu needs to lead to the end of the war. President Biden spoke with Netanyahu today, and Biden says he wants this moment to lead to the release of hostages and, finally, to the end of the war.
SUMMERS: That's NPR's Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv. Daniel, thanks as always.
ESTRIN: Thank you, Juana. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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