Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar smiles as he sits on the ruins of his house which was bombed during the 11 days of war on Gaza in 2021. (Photo credit: unknown)
Following the Palestinian stabbing operation in the settlement of Elad in eastern Tel Aviv on 5 May, Israeli media have been calling for the assassination of top Hamas officials, namely, Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip.
Some Israeli media figures took these threats to social media, calling for the assassination of Sinwar and wishing that he had died while he was in prison.
Extremist Member of the Knesset Itamar Ben Gvir called for the bombing of Sinwar’s house.
“The Air Force planes must now launch missiles at the house of Yahya Sinwar, who called for attacks with weapons and axes, and to assassinate him,” the extremist MK demanded.
Such an assassination could lead to the Palestinian resistance launching further retaliatory strikes against the Israeli occupation.
Following the 11 days of war on Gaza in May 2021, the house of Yahya Sinwar was bombed, but he was not at home.
Sinwar taunted Israeli forces by openly walking through the streets of Gaza, following the end of the 2021 war, following the defeat of Israel that year.
The manhunt for the two Palestinians who carried out the stabbing at the settlement, dubbed Operation Elad, is still ongoing. The operation left at least three dead and five wounded during a celebration of Israel’s so-called Independence Day.
Media coverage: “IOF soldiers raid a building in the colonial Israeli settlement of Rosh Haayin as part of an ongoing manhunt for the two Palestinian youth who carried out yesterday’s stabbing operation in the Israeli settlement of Elad.” pic.twitter.com/1n6rtdKIxa
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) May 6, 2022
Israeli officials and media figures blame Sinwar for the Elad operation, due to a recent speech he gave calling for increased one-man solo retaliatory action against the Israeli occupation.
On 30 April, the Hamas leader called on all Palestinians in the 1948 occupied lands to resist the Israeli occupation through any means at their disposal, encouraging the continuation of the trend of operations involving one or two people with a variety of available weapons.
International law codifies the legitimacy of armed resistance against a military occupation.
UN Security Council resolution 2787 specifically mentions the Palestinian people in describing the rights of occupied nations to regain their self-determination.