US President and European leaders on Friday called for an end to the war in Gaza following Israel's killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
At a meeting in Berlin, US President Joe Biden German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said they discussed events in the Middle East, particularly the “implications” of Sinwar’s death, as well as the need to “bring the hostages home to their families, for ending the war in Gaza, and ensure humanitarian aid reaches civilians.”
Meanwhile, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said Biden believes that Sinwar’s death can provide “an inflection point” to end the war in Gaza, and to get the Israeli hostages back home.
“The killing of Sinwar underscores the keen sense of urgency that we still have and must have to get a ceasefire deal in place to get those hostages home,” he said.
“Those hostages are still being held somewhere in Gaza, likely in tunnels, and their lives are still greatly at risk. And there’s a keen sense of urgency now with Sinwar’s passing...to see what we can do to get those hostages home,” the advisor added.
In an interview with German journalists via teleconference, Kirby said the Israeli army has decimated Hamas and killed its leadership.
He noted that Biden is discussing with the Quad leaders, who are meeting in Berlin, the great opportunity to stop the axis of evil and create a different future.
When asked what gives the US confidence, after Sinwar’s death, that Israel is ready for a ceasefire, that it sees a ceasefire as its best option, Kirby said, “We believe — continue to believe that finding an end to the war is critical, and we also believe that Sinwar’s death yesterday can provide an inflection point to getting there.”
He added that the Israeli army was able to really decimate the Hamas leadership, knock out the top leader and completely eliminate any immediate threat that Hamas would pose from a military perspective.
Commenting on the planned trip by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the Middle East in the coming days, Kirby said: “We still believe that even while the war goes on, we’ve got to make sure we’re ready for that day after so that Gaza cannot be governed by Hamas but can be governed by authorities, institutions that are answerable to the Palestinians who live there and not to a terrorist organization.”
He noted that Blinken is working that hard, including with, and even especially with Arab partners to reach a ceasefire and return the hostages.
“The President’s primary concern right now, is making sure we get them home, that we can get a surge of humanitarian assistance in, that we get that ceasefire in place,” Kirby stressed.
