I do think that the hostages have been used to explain why the war is still ongoing.

It's true, but it's also been used to promote Israel's name and say, well, you know, we're still fighting this war because we want to save the lives of the

hostages but I also believe that if that's true then that is up to our

government to show that that's truly what they're doing especially now that

finally Sunoir is dead is out of the way now is the time for our government to really cement this. It's 10 a.m. on Sunday October 20th here in New York City. It's 5 o'clock p.m. on Sunday October 20th in

Israel as Israelis begin to wind down their day. Last week during a routine military operation, IDF soldiers killed IKEA Sinwar.

This was a huge moment, an extraordinary victory for Israel both militarily in bringing Hamas closer to its demise

but it was also important symbolically as Xinwar will not get to repeat the Kodak moment he had back in 2014 after another

Israel Hamas ward which he was sitting on a couch smiling atop the rubble in Gaza.

I have said many times on this podcast over the last year that the image of

sinewar emerging atop the rubble of Gaza was an image that I feared and I think Israeli decision

makers had the same concerns.

Inoir's death now opens up a wide range of questions about where the war in Gaza goes from here and actually where the war

on other fronts go as well. As it relates specifically to Gaza, how functional will Hamas be after

sinewar? How is all this being processed by everyday Palestinians in

Gaza and by Hezbollah and by Iran? Who will the next leader of Hamas be in Gaza or abroad or both?

Will there even be a Hamas?

And with the head of Hamas gone, will Gazans rebel and try to topple Hamas's regime or at least what's left of it.

But most importantly, how will this impact the 101 Israeli hostages who still today remain held captive by Hamas.

Will those guarding the hostages try to avenge the death of their leader

by executing the hostages, God forbid?

Are they open to some kind of negotiation?

...