‘An evil was taken out of this world today’ · The Floridian

MIAMI BEACH – Rep. Fabian Basabe, R-Miami Beach, responded Thursday to the death of Hamas leader Yahwa Sinwar, the mastermind behind the Oct. 7 terrorist attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and took 240 hostages in the Jewish state

“Today an evil was removed from this world. This was the heinous force behind the attacks on October 7th. I will always defend Israel’s right to protect its people and remain a relentless and unapologetic defender of major ally of the United States,” Basabe said. “The brave men and women of the IDF deserve immense credit for their tireless efforts in the fight against terrorism and the defense of freedom and peace.”

Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces in southern Gaza. Sinwar, a hardliner among its leaders, was believed to be running Hamas’ network of tunnels under the Gaza Strip before his death.

In July, Sinwar was named Hamas leader after his predecessor, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed by Israel in an explosion in Tehran. Israeli forces also killed the leader of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammad Deif, in July and deputy political chief Saleh al-Arouri in an attack in Beirut in January.

Against the background of the war between Israel and Hamas, Sinwar’s killing comes after Israel was attacked earlier this month by the Islamic Republic of Iran, which largely funds Hamas.

Represented by Basabe, Miami Beach includes about 20,000 Jews and approximately 18% of the city’s current population is Jewish. In total, approximately 500,000 Jews are found in the South Florida area.