'Time to move on': Biden leads calls for ceasefire in Gaza after Hamas leader's death

Western leaders, led by US President Joe Biden, have pushed for an end to the conflict after the death of Hamas leader in Gaza and mastermind behind the 7 October attacks, Yahya Sinwar.

Hours after Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, Biden and other leaders congratulated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the killing — saying that Sinwar had "blood on his hands".

As he arrived in Germany, Biden said, "Now's the time to move on ... Move towards a ceasefire in Gaza."

Sinwar, a rarely seen figure, was responsible for a deadly terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October — a moment that sparked devastating, year-long attacks by Israel on the Gaza Strip and spawned a separate, deadly conflict between Israel and Hamas' allies Hezbollah in Lebanon.

US officials expressed optimism that the death of the infamous figure could signal a turning point in the Middle East and give new impetus to ceasefire talks that have stalled as Israel exchanges escalating fire with Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“Over the past few weeks, there have been no negotiations for an end to the war because Sinwar has refused to negotiate,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters, adding that his death opened up the possibility for Hamas and Israel to negotiate an end to the fighting.

Biden joins other figures including his Vice-President Kamala Harris, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in pushing for a ceasefire.

Scholz said, "There is a proposal from President Biden and others as to what such a ceasefire could look like and we fully support that" in Brussels on Thursday.

Echoing his sentiment, Macron said in a post on X that "Yahya Sinwar was the main person responsible for the