The Sunday Subject: October 20, 2024
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed by an Israeli strike in Gaza.
Sinwar was considered the main architect of Hamas’s October 7 attack. While Netanyahu said the war “had not yet ended,” many see Sinwar’s death as an opportunity for a ceasefire in Gaza and a hostage deal, as Sinwar was seen as a prominent obstacle to peace. “Whether a deal could be struck for a cessation of hostilities will depend on the new Hamas leader – and on Netanyahu’s willingness to finally declare a victory and make a deal,” said the Atlantic Council’s Jonathan Panikoff.
Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, intensifying diplomatic tensions over the 2023 murder of a Sikh separatist near Vancouver.
Ottawa accused Sanjay Kumar Verma, India’s top diplomat in Canada, of being affiliated with a criminal network that has coerced and killed Indian-Canadian supporters of Sikh separatism. Canadian officials also said that Indian diplomats had been collecting information on Canadian citizens and passing it to India’s spy service to identify targets. Indian officials have denied the accusations.
The Biden administration took the rare step of deploying military personnel to Israel.
The Pentagon sent a missile defense system and troops to operate it to Israel after Iran’s latest missile attack. In the past America has used navy ships and fighter jets to help defend Israel. At the same time, the Biden administration warned Israel that it must allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza if it wants to keep receiving arms from the US.
