Relief, anxiety in Israel after Sinwar's killing

Some Israelis felt relief with the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, even as the fate of nearly 100 hostages in Gaza still stirred anxiety.

Israeli authorities long accused Sinwar of masterminding the October 7 attack, the deadliest in the country's history.

Hamas militants overran portions of southern Israel, shooting people, storming military bases and attacking a music festival where they killed at least 370 people.

It was an unprecedented attack that deeply shook the country.

For some, the killing of the October 7 architect brought some closure following a year of fighting in the Gaza Strip.

"It's like closing the circle, bringing things full circle," Dolev, a 29-year-old Tel Aviv resident, told AFP, asking to use only a single name.

"It feels like we've finished what we set out to do, and I hope this will also lead to an end," he added, though since late September Israel has also been fighting on another front, with intensified air strikes and troops on the ground in Lebanon against Hamas ally Hezbollah.

"I hope it will lead to the end of the war, the return of the hostages, and for quieter days," Dolev said.

The October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures that includes hostages killed in captivity.

Militants took 251 people hostage during the attack. Ninety-seven remain in Gaza, including 34 the military says are dead.

- 'Window of opportunity' -

The war triggered an Israeli military retaliation that has killed at least 42,500 people in Gaza, according to data from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures the UN has acknowledged as reliable.

As the military targeted Hamas fighters and leaders while searching for any sign of Sinwar, the war reduced large parts of the Palestinian territory to rubble.

Israeli commanders believed Sinwar hid in the maze of tunnels Hamas built beneath Gaza, while Israeli media had reported he was likely to be surrounded by hostages.

But when the Hamas chief was finally cornered and killed by the Israeli army, he was above ground with just two other fighters and no captives in sight, the military said.

Following the announcement of Sinwar's death, Israelis along with leaders from across the West called on Israel to seize the moment to leverage a deal to release the remaining captives.

"To be honest, I only thought about the hostages, whether this will help move any deal forward, if there will now be a way to bring them back, or if, on the contrary, this is pushing a deal further away," said Sharon Sborovsky, 31, from Tel Aviv.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met earlier Friday to discuss the aftermath of Sinwar's death, including the fate of the hostages.

A statement released by the president's office said that "a significant window of opportunity opened -- including the promotion of the return of the hostages and the elimination of Hamas".

Later in the day, Hamas said it had no plans to release the hostages until Israel ends its "aggression against our people in Gaza", withdraws from the territory and frees jailed Palestinians.

And while the death of Sinwar marked a milestone in the war, many Israelis were not yet ready to celebrate.

"It is nice to have killed the leader of Hamas," said Yonatan, a 34-year-old resident of Haifa.

"But we hope that all the hostages will come back, then we can start the party."