Hamas deputy leader, Khalil al-Hayya on Friday confirmed the death of the organization’s leader, Yahya Sinwar.

Following Sinwar’s death, al-Hayya vowed never to free Israeli captives until the war in Gaza ends.

Speaking from exile in Qatar, al-Hayya said Sinwar’s death would not change the position of Hamas.

In his first statement since Sinwar’s death, al-Hayya said: “We are continuing Hamas’s path,” adding that the “banner will not fall.”

Recall that the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has disclosed the death of Sinwar, saying it will not end the ongoing war in Gaza.

“Yahya Sinwar is dead, he was killed in Rafah by the brave soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces.

“While this is not the end of the war in Gaza, it’s the beginning of the end,” Netanyahu said.

Sinwar’s death comes as another episode in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

On Thursday, the Israeli military said Sinwar, one of the masterminds of the October 7, 2023 attack that left over 1,000 dead in Israel, was killed in a firefight between Israeli soldiers and Hamas forces.