Naples (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Following the assassination of Hamas leader Yaya Sinwar, the European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borell stressed the importance of reaching a ceasefire in the Middle East.
The European Union’s top diplomat and Vice-President of the European Commission
Josep Borrell has stressed the urgency of establishing a ceasefire in the Middle East. Speaking at a G7 defence ministers session in Naples, Borrell suggested the recent killing of Hamas leader Yaya Sinwar by Israeli forces might offer a new avenue for peace negotiations.
How can Yaya Sinwar’s assassination impact peace talks?
Borrell suggested that alongside seeking a ceasefire, steps should be made to facilitate the release of remaining Israeli hostages and to examine a sustainable political pathway forward. He highlighted that such developments create a possibility for robust diplomatic engagement.
In addition, the EU foreign policy chief suggested the potential reinforcement of the U.N. peacekeeping task in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, which has been a crucial player amidst clashes between Israel and Hezbollah. However, he stated that any changes to UNIFIL’s mandate would require the approval of the United Nations Security Council.
New Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, 62, had been extinguished fighting a group of Israeli trainee soldiers who came upon him by chance first started to circulate. Hamas affirmed his death while engaged in combat in Tal as-Sultan, Rafah. The fact that Sinwar perished fighting has added a final chapter to his anecdote as a fighter and leader who has been engaged with Hamas since its creation.
He oversaw Hamas in Gaza since the deaths of the group’s political leaders, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran and senior commander Mohammed Deif in July this year. He spent 22 years in Israeli prison before being freed in 2011 during a prisoner exchange.
