Hamas official confirms Sinwar’s death, as Hezbollah vows a new phase of war with Israel [Video]

Hamas confirmed Friday that its leader, Yahya Sinwar, was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, and the militant group reiterated its stance that hostages taken from Israel a year ago will not be released until there is a cease-fire in Gaza and a withdrawal of Israeli troops.“Those prisoners will not return to you before the end of the aggression on Gaza and the withdrawal from Gaza,” said Khalil al-Hayya, who was Sinwar’s Qatar-based deputy and headed up the group’s delegation during several rounds of cease-fire negotiations mediated by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt.In a statement, Hamas heralded Sinwar as a hero who “ascended as a heroic martyr, advancing and not retreating, brandishing his weapon, engaging and confronting the occupation army at the forefront of the ranks.”The statement appeared to refer to a video the Israeli military circulated of Sinwar’s apparent last moments in which a man sits on a chair …