What a day to return from a mental sojourn. Yahya Sinwar was confirmed dead. He was killed by a tank after a drone spotted him with two others, hiding in a building in Rafah. I woke up earlier than normal when my partner called to give me the news.

Israeli twitter first pointed out that an infantry soldier only 9 months into his service killed Sinwar. The soldier wasn’t even in uniform on 10/7. His division were doing a regular sweep of the area. Per reports, Netanyahu has offered any militia member in Gaza immunity if they hand over a hostage or help in the recovery of a hostage. 

It was also revealed that Sinwar had originally been surrounded with the six hostages recently killed.

Some on twitter were also sarcasm posting calling out everyone who pushed Israel not to go into Rafah.

While I assumed there would be celebratory and grieving posts, I did not expect to see so many hero journey retellings of Sinwar’s life. I guess I am naive. 

On the other end, there have been some very celebratory responses.

These are some responses with thoughts on what is next or with insight into how Gazans/Palestinians see Sinwar and his death.

There have been a number of heartbreaking videos of children and families in Gaza wishing Israelis happy sukkot or telling Netanyahu that they love him.

I am hoping beyond hope that either Netanyahu does the right thing, or if he cannot, someone in the Israeli chain of command gets with the program and enforces an end to the war. I say this because between the loss of life and the practicality of fighting an urban war against a terrorist force, Israel should leave now on a win and regroup their forces as needed. The Gazan people deserve a cease fire, and I think we can begin a hearts and minds campaign to help every day Palestinians in Israel trust in other options for livelihoods than working in Hamas’ government infrastructure. This op-ed written by an anonymous Gazan explains how embarrassing it was to Hamas when over 100,000 Gazans were going to work every day in Israel because it showed how little Hamas was doing for their people. 

I believe each of us can change in an instant. It’s been over a year. I don’t think people have the heart anymore for all this bloodshed. With Sinwar gone, international parties can make overtures to deradicalize Gaza. They should bring in an advisory body from an ally Arab nation (or a mixed group of nations), and this group can work with Israel and the international community on: a) rebuilding Gaza, b) medical and psychological treatment for Gazans and Israelis, c) a plan with clear objectives necessary to meet an eventual peace plan and formation of state. 

A huge part of this is also on Israel. Regardless of how under fire Israel has been since its founding, they are incredibly strong — they’ve shown that with their multi-pronged attack on Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. Sometimes knowing when to stop is a stronger position than continuing to fight.  This could be the final conflict, and it’s on those with the most power to lead that charge. Is it fair to ask a people who have lived under a constant barrage of rockets and the threat of elimination to be the first to make peace? I don’t know that we have the luxury to wait for what is fair. One can always go back to war, but it’s impossible for us to be the same as we were after war has ravaged our communities and our country. The time is now to push for a cease fire and to bring home the hostages.

A reminder: Deligitimizing Jewish or Palestinian connections to the homeland is a bad look. Peace is the right look. Let’s focus on that.