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What is Israel’s plan now that Hamas’ Sinwar no longer rules Gaza?

What is Israel’s plan now that Hamas’ Sinwar no longer rules Gaza?

The holiday of Sukkot is a joy – so much so that it is even known as Zman Simchateinu, the Time of Our Celebration. Last year, the conclusion of Sukkot was immediately marked by the October 7 massacre, one of the most shocking events in Israeli history. Twelve hundred people were murdered, hundreds more were taken hostage, and tens of thousands were forced to leave their homes and become refugees in their own country.

Several people were responsible for planning this massacre, with blame falling on a specific Hamas leadership cadre as well as its supporting allies in Hezbollah, Iran and the Houthis. Chief among these figures was Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza and ultimately the overall leader of the terrorist organization.

But this year, Sukkot started with a bang – and one that is definitely cause for celebration. After years of attempts, the IDF finally succeeded in finding and killing Sinwar.

To underscore how big a deal this is, consider that since October 7, 2023, eliminating the leadership of Hamas and Hezbollah has arguably been one of Israel’s most important war goals. To eliminate the threat to Israeli citizens; to ensure that the war can end; to bring the hostages home; And to return the tens of thousands of evacuees to their homes, it was argued, Hamas and Hezbollah would have to be fought, weakened so much that they could never again pose a threat to the Jewish state.

At the start of the war this seemed like a pipe dream. Hamas’ political leadership under expatriate Ismail Haniyeh and Saleh al-Arouri appeared untouchable. Other senior Hamas officials in Gaza, such as Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Marwan Issa, had evaded attempts to capture or assassinate them for years. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and other top officials also appeared safe in Lebanon, sheltered in secure bunkers and protected by political legitimacy and the security of sovereign territory.

Photo of a wounded Yahya Sinwar in the Gaza Strip after the building he was in was hit by an IDF tank. (Source: SCREENSHOT/X, SECTION 27A COPYRIGHT ACT)

But that wasn’t a pipe dream.

It took a lot of time and demanded many victims on all sides. But one by one, these elusive terrorist masterminds fell to the ground. First Issa, then Deif. Haniyeh’s death followed soon after, killed in the beating heart of Iran. And finally, the infamous Nasrallah met his end – as did a large part of the Hezbollah leadership.

Sinwar was soon the last man standing and went into hiding in Gaza. Since Israel released him as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange deal in 2011, he grew in power and influence, eventually becoming the organization’s Gaza chief, a position only Haniyeh could rival.

When Haniyeh was killed, Sinwar assumed overall leadership of Hamas: the only head on the snake. And now that head has been chopped off.

Both Hamas and Hezbollah have suffered heavy losses over the last year, but Israel has done what many thought was impossible and hunted down those responsible for October 7th. Finally, all the ringleaders are down and finished – forever.

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Decisions must be made about what to do next, and this war is not over yet. Hezbollah remains a well-armed threat to Israel and continues to regularly fire rockets, drones and missiles at the Jewish state. Hamas still has gunmen and rockets, and 101 hostages are still in its possession. The Houthis in Yemen remain a threat that can strike at any time. They have an arsenal of ballistic missiles and drones, and their leadership remains intact. And then there is the ever-looming threat of Iran, a well-equipped country that supports all of the above actors and has an impressively large army of its own.

What’s next?

So what’s next? Will Israel be able to return evacuees to their homes? Will they push for another hostage deal on favorable terms? Will the IDF focus on Iran or the Houthis?

These questions will need to be answered very soon, and it remains to be seen how Israel’s allies such as the US want the Jewish state to proceed. But for now, we can take comfort in the fact that at least Israel’s nemesis of last year is dead, and that some measure of justice has been achieved for all the people who have suffered loss and suffering since October 7th. Zman simchateinu Indeed.