Death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar will make hostage negotiations 'extremely difficult' and prolong war in the region, experts warn

​​​​Urban Coningham, Research Fellow and Course Lead at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), told MailOnline that while ceasefire negotiations appear 'off the table' at present, Sinwar's death could ultimately catalyse the US into pressuring Israel into agreeing a ceasefire deal. 'The biggest change we could see ... may be enhanced US pressure on Netanyahu to 'take the win' and return to the negotiating table in order to bring about a ceasefire,' he said. 'Sinwar's death could therefore be the closest that Israel has come to achieving their publicised goals of the conflict in Gaza. The US will pressure Netanyahu to take this victory and to begin de-escalating in Gaza, which could lead to ceasefire talks resuming. This comes with the caveat that as US elections less than a month away, it is uncertain how willing Biden will be to place this sort of pressure on Netanyahu. While Netanyahu's government will immediately benefit from the spectacle of killing Sinwar, Hamas will feel monumental ramifications in the days to come.