US diplomats say Sinwar’s death was key to ending Gaza hostage crisis

In a new book, former Middle-East adviser Brett McGurk describes how talks to free Israeli hostages captured on Oct. 7 repeatedly collapsed, especially after Hamas murdered six captives in a Rafah tunnel, prompting him to advise President Biden that a deal was impossible while Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar remained alive. He says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pursued both hostage release and the removal of Hamas from Gaza, goals that often clashed and hindered U.S. mediation.

McGurk criticizes Hamas for breaking cease-fires and withholding reliable hostage lists, while noting the war’s heavy toll on Gaza civilians. He credits bipartisan coordination between the Biden administration and the incoming Trump team, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, for reviving negotiations after Sinwar’s death and Israeli gains against Hezbollah and Iran. The first hostages were freed on Biden’s last day in office, with the remaining captives released by October 2025 under Trump. McGurk warns that despite the releases, Gaza’s destruction and unresolved security issues leave the region unstable.