JERUSALEM/CAIRO (Reuters)

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the Gaza war, has been killed by Israeli forces in the Palestinian enclave, Israel said on Thursday.

The Israeli military said it had killed Sinwar, 62, in an operation in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

"After completing the process of identifying the body, it can be confirmed that Yahya Sinwar was eliminated," it said.

There was no immediate comment from Hamas. 

In Israel, families of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza said they hoped that a ceasefire could now be reached that would bring home the captives. In Gaza, pounded relentlessly by Israeli forces for a year, residents said they believed the war would go on.