Biden, US lawmakers praise death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by Israel: 'The world is a safer place'

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Former ambassador says Israel at war for its 'national survival'

Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren says killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is an incredible moment for Israel, the U.S., and the free world.

President Biden and congressional lawmakers praised Israel upon hearing the news that the mastermind behind the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on the Jewish state had been killed.

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was eliminated by Israeli forces and was found in rubble in the Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised message. 

"I stand before you today to inform you that Yahya Sinwar has been eliminated," he said. "He told you he was a lion, but in reality, he was hiding in a dark den – and he was killed when he fled in a panic from our soldiers."

Biden congratulated Israel for the killing, saying it was "a good day for Israel, for the United States, and for the world."

WHO IS YAHYA SINWAR?

Yahya Sinwar chairs a meeting with leaders of Palestinian factions at his office in Gaza City, April 13, 2022. (AP)

"Israel had every right to eliminate the leadership and military structure of Hamas. Hamas is no longer capable of carrying out another October 7," he said in a statement. 

Vice President Kamala Harris said: "justice has been served."

"And the United States, Israel and the entire world are better off as a result, Sinwar was responsible for the killing of thousands of innocent people, including the victims of Oct. 7, and hostages killed in Gaza," she added. "He had American blood on his hands."

Many lawmakers reacted positively to news of Sinwar's demise. 

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Sinwar had the blood of numerous Israelis and Gazans on his hands. 

"Let his death be a message to all who seek to terrorize Israel and the Jewish people," said Schumer. "Sinwar in his beliefs and actions have caused so much pain to the Israeli and Palestinian people; and I pray that his elimination from the scene will clear a path to urgently and immediately bring home all the hostages – including the seven Americans."

HAMAS NAMES YAHYA SINWAR, MASTERMIND OF OCT. 7 ATTACKS, AS ITS NEW LEADER  

A poster in Tehran's Palestine Square features Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on Aug. 13, 2024. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies, D-N.Y., said, "Israel, the Middle East and the free world is a safer place with the death of Yahya Sinwar. Terror will never win."

Sen. Roger Wicker, of Mississippi, the highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Sinwar's death should be a warning to Iran and its proxies in the region. 

"Israel has decapitated the senior leadership of Hezbollah and Hamas. The world is a safer place because Israel has proven what strong action against global terrorism should look like," he said. "Every time the Biden-Harris administration attempts to place conditions on Israel’s self-defense, they are weakening Israeli and American responses to terrorism."

Yahya Sinwar appears during a ceremony for fighters killed by Israeli airstrikes on May 24, 2021, in Gaza City. (Laurent Van der Stockt/Getty Images)

"The only way that this war will end is with Israel’s victory and the defeat of Iran’s terrorist proxies. Israel’s removal of the architect of this war represents another key step toward eliminating these threats," he added. 

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Israel delivered a "mighty blow" to Hamas and Iran. 

"The ultimate revenge against Iran and their terrorist proxies is to replace terrorism and hate with sustainable security, peace and prosperity for the region," he said. 

ISRAEL’S HUNT FOR HAMAS TERROR LEADER YAHYA SINWAR: ‘DEAD MAN WALKING’ 

IDF Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi speaks with troops at the location where Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed. (Israel Defense Forces)

Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho., said: "Terrorists have no place in this world, and deserve to be eliminated."

"The region cannot move forward without the elimination of Hamas as a military entity," he added. "This is not easy to do, but the Israelis are doing it; that cannot be denied. The U.S. and our allies should do more to help the Israelis continue to cut off the head of the snake, and certainly stop trying to get in their way. Israel’s success will be a victory for the free world."

Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., the chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said justice had been served, but "let us not forget that the terrorist network he headed still holds dozens of people hostage in Gaza, and we must continue to press for their safe return." 

Herzi Halevi, IDF chief of the general staff, left, and Ronen Bar, the leader of Shin Bet, conduct a situational assessment on Thursday, Oct. 17. (IDF)

Israel vowed to kill Sinwar following its military campaign in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed Sinwar's death after conducting DNA tests on a body that was among three terrorists killed during a battle. 

In July, Sinwar was elevated as Hamas’ top leader after Ismail Haniyeh, his predecessor, was killed in an apparent Israeli strike in the Iranian capital Tehran. 

A demonstrator holds a sign about the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar during a protest calling for a cease-fire deal and the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas on Thursday, Oct. 17, in Tel Aviv, Israel. (AP/Ariel Schalit)

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Israel has killed top leaders in Hamas and Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed terror group based in neighboring Lebanon that has shelled the northern part of the Jewish state for more than a year in solidarity with Hamas.