Yahya Sinwar: Anthony Albanese hopes death of Hamas boss 'can be turning point in conflict'

Anthony Albanese hopes the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar can help bring an end to the conflict in the Middle East.

The prime minister joined other senior members of the government and opposition in welcoming the death of Sinwar, described as the “mastermind” of the October 7 attacks, in an Israeli operation on Wednesday.

Sinwar was killed in the area of Tal El Sultan, in the Gaza Strip’s south.

“Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was a terrorist and the architect of the atrocities committed on October 7,” Mr Albanese said on Friday.

“He was an enemy of the Israeli people and an enemy of peace-loving people everywhere.

“His death is a significant moment and can be a vital turning point in this devastating conflict.

“Australia joins with the international community in renewing our call for the return of the hostages, urgent humanitarian support for civilians in Gaza and a ceasefire that will break the cycle of violence and put the region on the path to an enduring two state solution.”

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said the world was safer following Sinwar’s death.

“He had equal disdain for Israelis, as evidenced by the October 7 atrocity, as he did for his own people whom he used as human shields and kept impoverished in pursuit of his own twisted world view,” he said on social media.

“Release the hostages now and mark his death as a great day for the Middle East and the world.”

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said with Sinwar’s death “an ugly flame of vicious terrorism has been extinguished”.

“Hopefully his death provides some justice to the families of those killed or taken on October 7,” he said in a statement.

Mr Birmingham said he was not only responsible for the deaths of Israelis in Hamas’ initial attack in late 2023, but also the tens of thousands of Palestinians killed in Israel’s ensuing occupation and assault on the territory since.

“May the elimination of another Iranian sponsored terrorist leader take the middle east one step closer to ultimate peace,” he continued.

The sentiments were echoed by Treasurer Jim Chalmers.

“We don’t mourn for one second the death of a terrorist leader, but we do mourn his victims, and we do mourn the tens of thousands of innocent lives lost to this conflict,” he told ABC Radio National.

“We hope that his death helps and hastens bring an end to the war, because we want to see a ceasefire, we want to see humanitarian aid get in and we want to see his hostages released.”

Independent Wentworth MP Allegra Spender, who represents the federal electorate with the highest proportion of Jewish voters, said Sinwar’s death was “a huge milestone in this tragic war”.

“His death must serve as a catalyst to bring home the remaining hostages, achieve a lasting ceasefire, and end the suffering of civilians in this terrible conflict,” she wrote on X.

More than 42,000 thousand people have been killed in Gaza since the start of Israel’s offensive, according to the local health authority, and thousands more remained buried under rubble or missing.