Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt told Newsmax on Thursday that the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar gives Israel a "tremendous opportunity right now on Hamas to move to checkmate."
Sinwar, the mastermind of the Oct. 7 massacre, was killed during an IDF operation Thursday. The Israeli military confirmed his identity through DNA testing, which they had acquired when Sinwar spent time in an Israeli prison. Holt's sources told him that the Hamas leader was not the intended target of the strike.
"It was not a result of intelligence," Holt said on "American Agenda." "They were just going after terrorists and found him during the bomb damage assessment. They did find Sinwar and got him tested using DNA really quickly. But here's where it gets interesting: They have a tremendous opportunity right now on Hamas to move to checkmate."
With Sinwar out of the way and Hamas scrambling for new leadership, Holt said Israel can now better aid the Palestinian people in Gaza and try to separate them from Hamas leadership.
"There's nothing like watching a team lose and lose at such a lethal rate," Holt said. "And all these leaders are falling apart. My inclination tells me that [Hamas second in command Khaled] Meshaal is the next one to be targeted. He's in Qatar. But now is the opportunity for the Israelis to close the deal."
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