Hamas mourns Sinwar, Vows no hostage release

Hamas vowed on Friday not to release the hostages seized during its Oct. 7 attack on Israel until the Gaza war ends, as it mourned the death of its leader Yahya Sinwar.

The killing of Sinwar, the mastermind of the deadliest attack in Israeli history, had raised hopes of a turning point in the war, including for families of the Israeli hostages and Gazans enduring a dire humanitarian crisis.

But Qatar-based Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya, who mourned Sinwar in a video statement, reiterated the Palestinian group's position that no hostages would be released "unless the aggression against our people in Gaza stops." Israeli forces pummeled Gaza over the course of the day, with a strike near Jabalia on Friday night causing "33 deaths and dozens of wounded, according to Gaza civil defense agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal.

Earlier in the day, rescuers recovered the bodies of three Palestinian children from the rubble of their home, also in the north of the territory, the agency said.