Does Hamas leader’s death raise the prospect of a Gaza ceasefire?

US President Joe Biden is currently in Berlin on a high-profile trip. During his stay in the German capital, he is also expected to meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron. Besides Gaza, the visit is also focusing on Russia and Ukraine.

Meeting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday, Biden noted that the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinar raises “the prospect of a ceasefire” and “represents a moment of justice”, according to a report in the Guardian.

The US leader noted that the Hamas leader had the blood of Israelis, Palestinians, Germans and so many others on his hands. “I told the Prime Minister of Israel yesterday, let’s also make this moment an opportunity to seek a path to peace, a better future in Gaza.”

Urgent need for a lasting Gaza ceasefire

The German chancellor emphasised that the killing of the Hamas leader opens “the concrete prospect of a ceasefire in Gaza, of an agreement to release the hostages held by Hamas,” according to the media agency.

Qatar’s prime minister recently revealed that there had been no conversations for the last several days to secure a Gaza ceasefire. There is an urgent need to bring lasting peace to the Palestinian enclave as the death toll soars higher each day.

The brutal Middle East crisis erupted on October 7 as Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israeli cities, killing some 1,200 people and taking others hostages. Israel’s retaliatory strikes, on the other hand, have already claimed tens of thousands of lives.