More than a year after Hamas’ devastating October 7 attacks on Israel, the country’s military said Thursday it had killed the man it considers to have been the chief architect of that cross-border incursion – raising questions about the future of the war and of the militant group itself,

Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas and presumptive architect of its October 7 terrorist attack on southern Israel, was killed Wednesday by Israeli soldiers who encountered him by chance in southern Gaza, Israel said Thursday. His death was confirmed by DNA tests and dental records.

Despite some raised expectations, the killing in Gaza of formidable Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is not likely to hasten a formal cease-fire, nor end Israeli efforts to eliminate the group responsible