Ayatollah Khamenei: Yahya Sinwar’s death won’t halt Axis of Resistance – ‘Hamas is alive and will stay alive’

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Saturday that the death of Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar will not halt the 'Axis of Resistance', and that Hamas would live on. Palestinian militant group Hamas confirmed his killing in Gaza on Friday, a day after Israeli authorities announced the death.

"Indeed, his loss is painful for the Resistance Front. However, this front did not halt its progress in the wake of the martyrdoms of eminent figures such as Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Fathi Shaqaqi, Rantisi, and Ismail Haniyeh. Similarly, it will not falter the least with the martyrdom of Sinwar either, God willing. Hamas is alive and will stay alive.", Khamenei said in a statement on Saturday as posted by his office on X.

'Axis of Resistance' is a network of Iranian-backed militias and political groups in the West Asia dedicated to confront the influence of Israel and United States in the region. The US designates most of these groups as terrorist organisations.

‘Killed by a gunshot wound’

Sinwar was killed by a gunshot wound to the head in southern Gaza during a firefight, Dr Chen Kugel, the director of Israel’s national forensic institute, said in an interview with The New York Times on Friday.

Khamenei called commander Yahya Sinwar a shining image of ‘resistance and struggle’ who stood with unwavering determination against the cruel, transgressive enemy, striking them with his acumen and courage. The Iranian Supreme Leader said that Sinwar struck the irreparable blow of October 7 that will be remembered as a part of the history of this region.

Sinwar was the chief of Hamas in Gaza during the October 7 attack that ignited the conflict and took on the role of the group's overall leader following the July assassination of its political chief, Ismail Haniyeh.

“And then he ascended to the realm of the martyrs with dignity and pride. For one like him who had dedicated his life to the battle against the usurping, cruel enemy, anything less than martyrdom would have been an unworthy fate,” the statement quoted Khamenei as saying.