With the reported killing of the Hamas leader, Israel’s partners should renew the push for a ceasefire and hostage deal

The Israeli military’s announcement that it has killed the Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar should be an opportunity to end the devastating war in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinian men, women and children. The death of the man who masterminded the 7 October massacres in southern Israel that killed more than 1,200 people would mark a key moment in the conflict. It could renew momentum for a ceasefire deal and hostage release – as families of those held have demanded. With the group’s two other key figures already dead, Benjamin Netanyahu could declare victory.

There is no sign that he is prepared to do so without intense and sustained pressure on him – the sort of pressure that the US has repeatedly been unwilling to exert. Mr Netanyahu knows that protracting conflict extends his political life. It seems more likely that he will vow that it’s time to finish the job. The Israeli prime minister said last month’s killing of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, had “settled the score”, and his approval ratings rose. Then Israel launched its ground offensive in Lebanon.