MAIN HEADLINES

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar offered the chance of peace in the Middle East but warned that the war in Gaza was not over. READ MORE BELOW

• World leaders reacted to the news of Sinwar's killing, with China saying the "relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council" must be enacted. READ MORE BELOW

• Families of Israeli hostages taken captive to Gaza by Islamist group Hamas fear their loved ones are in greater danger after Israeli troops killed Sinwar.

• The entire Gaza Strip remains at risk of famine and is experiencing emergency levels of hunger, with intense Israeli military operations adding to concerns and hampering humanitarian access, a global monitor said.

• The Israeli military identified what it called "a number of terrorists" crossing from Jordan into Israel south of the Dead Sea region and neutralized two of them after they opened fire on Israeli forces. READ MORE BELOW

• Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group announced it was moving to a new and escalating phase in its war against Israel.

• Lebanon's caretaker prime minister said he rejected Iranian interference, after the speaker of Iran's parliament said Tehran was ready to negotiate with France on implementing a U.N. resolution concerning southern Lebanon.

• A United Nations' UNIFIL peacekeeping mission spokesperson on Friday said that the 10,000-strong mission would remain in Lebanon despite several direct attacks by Israeli forces in recent days which he described as deliberate. 

Netanyahu: Task still not completed

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sinwar's killing offered the chance of peace in the Middle East but that Israel would continue its military offensive until its hostages were returned.

The killing of Sinwar, a mastermind of the October 7, 2023, attack that triggered the Gaza war by Israeli forces in the Palestinian enclave marks a major success for Israel and a milestone in the year-long conflict.

"Today we have settled the score. Today evil has been dealt a blow but our task has still not been completed," Netanyahu said in a recorded video statement. "To the dear hostage families, I say: this is an important moment in the war. We will continue full force until all your loved ones, our loved ones, are home."

Hamas leader Sinwar was tracked by an Israeli mini drone as he lay dying in the ruins of a building in southern Gaza and filmed slumped in a chair covered in dust. 

In video released by Israeli authorities, Sinwar was shown throwing a stick at the drone in an apparent act of desperation.

After an intensive manhunt that had lasted for more than a year, the Israeli troops that killed Sinwar were initially unaware that they had caught their country's number one enemy after a gun battle on Wednesday, Israeli officials said.

Officials said he was found by infantry soldiers from the Bislach Brigade, a unit that normally trains future unit commanders. The soldiers were searching an area in the Tal El Sultan area of southern Gaza on Wednesday, where they believed senior members of Hamas were located.

International reaction to Sinwar's death

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokeswoman said "We have noticed the relevant reports. China believes that the immediate priority is to comprehensively and effectively implement the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, immediately achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, effectively protect civilians, ensure humanitarian relief, and avoid further escalation of conflict confrontation.

"China has always supported the internal reconciliation of Palestine, believing that it is an important step to solve the Palestinian issue on the basis of the two-state plan and achieve peace and stability in the Middle East. China is willing to work with all relevant parties to continue to make unremitting efforts to this end."

U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris said Sinwar's death set the stage for the return of Israeli hostages and an end to the war in Gaza.

"Now's the time to move on. Move on, move towards a ceasefire in Gaza, make sure that we are moving in a direction that we're going to be able to make things better for the whole world," Biden told reporters after landing in Germany, following a phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot described the killing as "a fatal blow that has been struck on Hamas, a terrorist group, which was guilty of an anti-Semitic massacre and many attacks, terrorist attacks."

A Russian spokesperson said Russia was "worried" by the possible consequences of the killing for the Middle East. 

IDF 'neutralize' Jordanians

The Israeli military said it had "neutralized" two "terrorists" crossing from Jordan into Israel south of the Dead Sea region after they opened fire on Israeli forces.

"IDF troops were dispatched to the scene and two terrorists who opened fire toward the troops were neutralized by the forces," the military said.

"Additional forces have been dispatched to reinforce the area and are conducting searches on the ground and air for an additional terrorist who likely fled the scene."

The latest incident follows a separate attack on September 8 when a gunman from Jordan killed three Israeli civilians at the Allenby Bridge border crossing in the occupied West Bank before security forces shot him dead.

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