San Diego Jewish community reacts to death of Hamas leaders

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Members of San Diego’s Jewish community are reacting to the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called “an important moment in the war.”

On Thursday, Israeli defense forces killed Sinwar, who was elected Hamas leader in 2017 and identified as the orchestrator of the October 7 attacks on Israel.

“How far do you think this will go to push this region to peace?” ABC 10News asked David Bramzon, former chairman of the Board of the Jewish Federation of San Diego.

“The key to peace is to defeat your enemies,” he said. “Israel needs to defeat its enemies to get closer to peace. So this is an important step in that direction.”

ABC 10News sat down with Bramzon to view the statement issued by Netanyahu announcing Sinwar’s death.

Benjamin Netanyahu urgently

“We have a great opportunity to stop the axis of evil and create a different future,” Netanyahu said. “A future of peace, a future of prosperity throughout the region.”

This prosperity could be achieved through a ceasefire, but discussions have stalled.

Bramzon said there is only one way to change.

“There would be a ceasefire and the end of the war would come when the hostages are released. When the hostages are released, the war ends and the fighting can stop,” he said.

ABC 10 News

Netanyahu echoed that sentiment, albeit through more aggressive rhetoric.

“Whoever lays down his weapon and returns our hostages, we will allow him to leave and go. In the same way, I say, whoever hurts our hostages with blood on his head, we will hold him accountable.”

Israeli officials report that there are 101 hostages. Bramzon said five of them are American.

Netanyahu maintains that the release of these hostages “would bring the end of the war closer.” However, some believe Sinwar’s death will only lead to more violence.

“This could very well happen, but you can’t let someone who did what they did go unpunished,” Bramzon said.

ABC 10News reached out to several local Palestinian and Islamic organizations for a response. They could not be reached for an interview on Thursday.

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