WASHINGTON, October 18. /TASS/. The assassination of the head of the politburo of the radical Palestinian movement Hamas Yahya Sinwar may complicate the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, The Washington Post (WP) wrote.

As noted, US leader Joe Biden and Vice President, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris expressed hope that Sinwar’s death could facilitate a settlement in the Gaza Strip. "But U.S., Israeli and Arab officials and experts with close knowledge of Israel’s war strategy, and of the months-long American-led efforts to forge a ceasefire, said that while Sinwar’s death was welcome, his elimination may have created new obstacles," the newspaper says.

"Chief among them are whether there is a viable replacement as Hamas leader who is ready and able to negotiate a ceasefire, and whether Netanyahu decides to take the opportunity to begin winding down the war or chooses to double down and seek a wider victory in Gaza," the article writes. According to the newspaper, "the answers to those questions will determine" the prospects for implementing the ceasefire plan.

On Thursday, the IDF Spokesperson’s Office said Sinwar was killed in an Israeli military operation in the southern Gaza Strip on October 16.