“This is a good day for Israel, for US, and for the world,” says Biden over Sinwar's killing

Reacting to the assassination of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, US President Joe Biden said that "it is good for Israel, the United States, and the world".

In a written statement, Netanyahu's close aide said that Sinwar's death removes a significant obstacle to achieving a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal.

"There is now the opportunity for a 'day after' in Gaza without Hamas in power, and for a political settlement that provides a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike." 

Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces in Rafah on Wednesday, according to Tel Aviv authorities. 

The development came after the Israeli army on Thursday announced it was investigating the possibility of Sinwar's death in Gaza.

Following the confirmation of the 61-year-old Palestinian fighter's death, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the killing of Sinwar was the "beginning of the end" of the bombardment in Gaza.

“Yahya Sinwar is dead. He was killed in Rafah by the brave soldiers of the Israel Defence Forces,” the war crimes convicted leader said in a video statement released on Friday.

“While this is not the end of the war in Gaza, it’s the beginning of the end," he added.

Sinwar became the head of Hamas after Ismail Haniyeh's assassination in Tehran on July 31. He was previously the head of Hamas in Gaza. 

An Israeli security official revealed that the military is conducting DNA tests to confirm whether Sinwar's body is among those killed in the operation.

Hamas sources indicated that Sinwar was indeed killed in the Israeli operation, as reported by Reuters.

Born on October 19, 1962, in Khan Younis's refugee camp, Sinwar was a key figure in Hamas. He received his primary education in Khan Younis and obtained a bachelor's degree in Arabic from the Islamic University of Gaza. 

He spent 23 years in Israeli prisons before being released through a prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel in 2011.

In September 2015, the US added Sinwar's name to the blacklist of international terrorists. He was elected head of Hamas' political wing in the Gaza Strip in 2017, replacing Ismail Haniyeh.

He was also given the nickname "The Butcher of Khan Younis" by Israel.