The confirmation of Mr Sinwar’s death changes little in and of itself. Hamas has already appointed a replacement and it has weathered the killings of many of its bosses. But it could shift the balance within the movement’s leadership, formerly dominated by Gazans, just as Israel once again increases pressure on the coastal strip.

Mahmoud Abbas gave assurances to President Emmanuel Macron of France, who has set conditions for possible recognition of a Palestinian state at a U.N. conference next week.

The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday imposed sanctions on a major Palestinian legal group for prisoners and detainees along with 4 other charitable entities across the Middle East, Africa and Europe,

The Israeli military recovered the body of de facto Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar in a tunnel underneath the European Hospital in southern Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Sunday.

The Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said the threats had made it “impossible to proceed” with food distribution. Hamas denied the accusation and accused the group of lacking neutrality.

The Israeli military on Sunday released video it said showed the underground rooms where they found the body of Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar who is believed to have died in tunnels under a Gaza hospital last month.

If Mr Abu Shabab’s motives are grubby, they are at least easy to understand. He is neither an ideologue nor a do-gooder; he is a criminal. Joining forces with Israel, at a time when Israel is the only conduit for aid into Gaza, is a logical next step for him.

But as law enforcement investigates the violent incidents -- from the New Orleans truck rampage to the Molotov cocktail attack in Boulder -- some counterterrorism experts say they're worried the federal government has taken its eye "off the ball" in preventing terrorism as its priorities shift -- from counterterrorism to mass deportation.

Israel's leader says arming "clans in Gaza" to help fight Hamas will save lives. Opposition leaders say the weapons "will eventually be turned against" Israelis.

Numerous attempts have been made to mend the Fatah-Hamas rivalry, including a dialogue hosted last June among Palestinian factions hosted by China, though without a breakthrough. Hamas today remains the most dominant group in Gaza, though a number of other influential factions continue to operate there.

Hamas leaders outside the strip – currently based in Doha, Beirut and Istanbul – "have the upper hand once again". They are "expected to support" a ceasefire deal "relinquishing Hamas' post-war role in Gaza but preserving its standing in the Arab world".