SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Members of the San Diego Jewish community are reacting to the death of Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, in what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called "an important moment in the war."
On Thursday, Israeli defense forces killed Sinwar, who was elected as the leader of Hamas in 2017 and identified as the orchestrator of the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.
"How far do you think this will go to push that region to peace?" ABC 10News asked David Bramzon, former Board Chairman for the San Diego Jewish Federation.
“The key to peace is defeating one's enemies," he said. "Israel needs to defeat its enemies to get closer to peace. So this is an important step in that direction.”
ABC 10News sat down with Bramzon to watch the statement issued by Netanyahu in which he announced Sinwar's death.
"We have a great opportunity to stop the axis of evil and create a different future," Netanyahu said. "A future of peace, future of prosperity in the entire region.”
That prosperity could potentially be achieved through a ceasefire, but discussions have deadlocked.
Bramzon said there's only one way that changes.
“A ceasefire would happen, and an end of the war would happen when the hostages are released. When the hostages are released, the war ends, and the fighting can stop," he said.
Netanyahu echoed that sentiment, albeit through more aggressive rhetoric.
“Whoever lays down his weapon and returns our hostages, we will allow him to go out and leave. In the same way, I say, whoever harms our hostages, blood on his head, we will reckon with him.”
Israeli officials report there are 101 hostages. Bramzon said five of them are American.
Netanyahu maintains the release of those hostages would "bring the end of the war closer." However, some believe Sinwar's death will only lead to more violence.
“That could very well happen, but you can't let someone that did what he did go unpunished," Bramzon said.
ABC 10News reached out to several local Islamic and Palestinian organizations for a response. They could not connect with us for an interview on Thursday.
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