Washington, DC – Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following statement concerning the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar: 

“Yahya Sinwar was not a freedom fighter, not a statesman, and not champion of the Palestinian people; he was a murderer and terrorist. The confirmation of his elimination is welcome news to me and anyone else who genuinely desires peace between Israelis and Palestinians.  

“As head of Hamas’ military wing since 2017, Sinwar made it his goal to destroy the State of Israel. He was the mastermind of the October 7th terrorist attack that resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 Israelis, and, in the war that followed, more than 42,000 Palestinians. In that war, more than 2 million Palestinians and more than 100,000 Israelis have been driven from their homes. For the last 16 years, Hamas has refused to end its terror activities, it has refused to reconcile with the Palestinian government in the West Bank, and it has rejected a two-state solution in totality. This has not led to justice for Palestinians or a peaceful future for Israelis or Palestinians.  

“Those of us who have spent years working towards a two-state solution always knew that a sustainable agreement was not possible while Hamas was in power in Gaza. For decades, Sinwar has helped deny oxygen for a two-state solution.  

“With Sinwar’s death there is a glimmer of hope amidst the regional war caused by Hamas October 7th brutal terrorist attack. It is time for the fighting in Gaza to come to an end, for Hamas to release the hostages, including the remaining American hostages, and for Hamas to allow new Palestinian leadership to emerge so that Palestinians and Israelis alike can live in peace with dignity. Any Palestinian leader who follows in Sinwar’s ideological footsteps will only bring more suffering to the Palestinian people.”