With Sinwar dead, Benjamin Netanyahu could stop the war in Gaza. But don’t bet a penny on that | Jonathan Freedland

The Israeli PM could cite the Hamas leader's death as a total victory', but his far-right partners would revolt and his ally Trump would not be happy

A good day for the world, said Joe Biden. The best day of my life, said Mohammed, a 22-year-old Palestinian in Gaza, who refused to give his last name to the New York Times for fear of being punished by Hamas for speaking out. A day of celebration, said countless Israelis.

They were reacting to the death of Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas and architect of the 7 October massacre of 1,200 Israelis that unleashed this last year of devastation, a war that has turned Gaza into rubble and taken the lives of thousands upon thousands of Palestinian civilians. As Mohammed put it: [He] started the war, scattered us and made us displaced, without water, food or money ... He is the one who made Israel do this."

Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnist