Image source, Getty Images

We will now be resuming our coverage of the latest updates from the Middle East.

Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, has been killed by Israeli soldiers in southern Gaza, Israel has confirmed.

Sinwar had led the armed group in Gaza since 2017 and was described by Israel, the US and UK as the mastermind behind the 7 October attacks - when Hamas gunmen killed around 1,200 people in Israel and took 251 hostages.

Medics in northern Gaza say at least 22 people were killed, and dozens wounded, in an Israeli air strike on a school building.

Elsewhere, in Lebanon, cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah has been continuing.

And in Yemen the US launched what it called "precision strikes" on five weapons storage facilities in parts of Yemen controlled by the Iranian-backed Houthi group.

Stick with us as we bring you the latest throughout the day.

Image source, Reuters

The killing of Yahya Sinwar, who had been top of Israel's most-wanted list, is a deeply significant moment in the war in Gaza.

Israel accused Sinwar of having masterminded the unprecedented 7 October attacks, that killed around 1,200 people in Israel and saw 251 taken hostage last year.

He took over as overall leader of Hamas after Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran in July. Prior to that he served as the group's leader inside the Gaza Strip – you can read a profile of Sinwar here.

Hamas is yet to comment or confirm the death. But Israel says it has matched dental and fingerprints, from the more than two decades he spent in Israeli prisons, to that of the body found in the southern Gazan city of Rafah.

You can read the full story of Sinwar's killing and the reaction to it here, while our international editor Jeremy Bowen's analysis of its implications is here.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the killing showed why Israel "insisted on not ending the war", and added the fighting would continue until the remaining hostages were brought home.

US officials have signalled a desire for Sinwar's death to act as an opportunity to renew efforts to agree a ceasefire deal and secure the release of the remaining hostages.

Earlier, Gaza's Hamas-run Civil Defence Agency said at least 22 people were killed in an Israeli strike on a school building in northern Gaza. The Israeli military said it conducted a "precise strike", claiming Hamas was using the site as a command centre, which the group has denied.

Jeremy Bowen
International Editor

Image source, EPA

Benjamin Netanyahu and the overwhelming proportion of Israelis who support the war in Gaza needed a victory.

The prime minister has repeated his war aims many times - destroying Hamas as a military and political force and bringing the hostages home.

Neither has been achieved, despite a year of war that has killed at least 42,000 Palestinians and left much of Gaza in ruins.

But the remaining hostages are not free and Hamas is fighting and sometimes killing Israeli troops.

Killing Yahya Sinwar was the victory Israel wanted. But until Netanyahu can claim that the other war aims have been accomplished, the war, as he says, will go on.

Read the full analysis of how killing Sinwar is Israel's biggest victory so far here/

Image source, EPA

Following our reports on US reaction to Sinwar’s death, we now have a comment from French President Emmanuel Macron - who has described today as “a turning point as well as a military success for Israel”.

He says: “This opportunity must be seized to secure the release of all hostages and for an end to finally be brought to the war."

Macron also makes the case in his statement that it is now necessary to "end military operations".

“Now, after this result, accept the ceasefire in Gaza and finally open a credible political perspective for both Israelis and Palestinians," he adds.

For the last few hours we've been focusing on the news that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has been killed.

But here's a quick recap of what else we've been reporting on in the Middle East today:

In Gaza:

At least 22 people have been killed and dozens wounded in an Israeli air strike on a school building in northern Gaza, according to Gaza's Hamas-run Civil Defence Agency. The Israeli military says it conducted a "precise strike" on the site in Jabalia, claiming it was being used as an operational meeting point for Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives – which Hamas denies.

In Lebanon:

Cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon continues. The Israeli military says it “struck and eliminated” a Hezbollah battalion commander in the south of the country.

In Yemen:

The US launched what it calls "precision strikes" on five weapons storage facilities in parts of Yemen controlled by the Iranian-backed Houthi group

Image source, Reuters

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has reacted to the news, describing Yahya Sinwar as the "leader of the terrorist group Hamas" and the "mastermind behind the deadliest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust".

Starmer adds: "Today my thoughts are with the families of those victims. The UK will not mourn his death.

"The release of all hostages, an immediate ceasefire and an increase in humanitarian aid are long overdue so we can move towards a long-term, sustainable peace in the Middle East."

An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson has shared more details on how Sinwar was killed, speaking to the BBC World Service’s Newshour programme.

Maj Doron Spielman says the IDF has been operating in Rafah with the goal of capturing “the most senior terrorists” - including Yahya Sinwar.

Spielman says in their operations, IDF forces gradually closed off streets, blew up tunnels and restricted movement to a “smaller and smaller area”, which he adds forced Sinwar to “move like a fugitive” and eventually "make a mistake”.

"In fact, just yesterday he did so. He left the tunnel, went into an apartment building, and [Hamas] opened fire on Israeli troops. A tank returned fire, and he was killed in that attack."

Lucy Manning
Special correspondent

Steve Brisley from Wales lost his British sister Lianne and British-Israeli teenage nieces Noiya and Yahel Sharabi on 7 October when they were murdered by Hamas gunmen in their home. His brother-in-law Eli Sharabi is still being held as a hostage.

Reacting to the news, Steve says: "It’s good news on the one hand, that Sinwar is dead, but the concern is always what could happen now. What does this mean for the hostages?"

“I would have always wanted some sort of justice for Lianne and the girls. Whether his death constitutes justice I'm not really sure, but I think I was always pretty realistic about the fact that he was never going to be brought to any sort of trial. So I suppose that his death is the next best thing. But until we get our families back, the nightmare goes on.”

He calls for Israel and the international community trying to get a hostage deal to use this as an opportunity.

“It's an opportunity to end the war, to end the suffering on both sides, to end the suffering in Gaza, to end the suffering of the families of the hostages. There has been no greater opportunity in the last six months than this.”

Tom Bateman
State Department correspondent

US Department of State spokesman Matthew Miller has described Sinwar’s death as a "seismic event that changes the nature of this conflict".

We’ve had a series of statements from President Biden downwards.

Three big observations. Biden calls it a “good day" for Israel, the US, and the world. The administration says Sinwar’s death brings a measure of justice – he had Israeli, American and Palestinian “blood on his hands”, says White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

US officials are also at pains to point out how they helped out in the run up to all this – revealing that after 7 October the White House despatched special operations and intelligence personnel with whose help Sinwar and others were “hunted and tracked and flushed out of their hiding places and put on the run”.

This might be in part to offset a dig that Netanyahu has just made in his own statement, implying he was right to send troops into Rafah earlier this year despite “all the pressures” - an operation the Americans had urged him to limit over civilian casualties.

But the big point here for the US administration is that it hopes it creates a new opening for the derailed ceasefire and hostage-release talks. In the last couple of hours Secretary of State Anthony Blinken came off the phone with the leadership of Qatar - key mediators with Hamas in Doha.

Miller says the US is "determined to try to seize that opportunity" to end the war.

US President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris have both made statements on the killing of Yahya Sinwar.

Biden says this is a "good day for Israel, for the United States, and for the world". He calls this an opportunity for a "day after" in Gaza without Hamas in power, and for a "political settlement that provides a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike."

According to the White House, Biden has also spoken to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "congratulate him on the mission" and discuss how to "use this moment to bring the hostages home and to bring the war to a close with Israel's security assured".

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters during her presidential campaign in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Harris says "justice has been served".

She adds that Sinwar was responsible for the killing of thousands of innocent people, including the victims of October 7 Hamas attack and hostages killed in Gaza.

"This moment gives us an opportunity to finally end the war in Gaza," she goes on to say, adding "today I can only hope that the families of the victims of Hamas feel a sense and measure of relief."

We've just heard from Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Rear Adm Daniel Hagari who has been addressing the media in Tel Aviv.

As translated from Hebrew, Hagari says Sinwar was killed after Israeli forces identified three "terrorists" running from house to house in the Tal El Sultan area of Rafah.

Hagari presents a video which he says shows Sinwar being approached by an IDF drone, masked and with an injury to his hand.

The man, who is sitting in an arm chair on the second floor of a mostly destroyed house in the footage, then throws what appears to be a stick at the drone and the video ends.

Sinwar was found with a gun and 40,000 shekels (£7,700), Hagari says.

"He was running away and we killed him," he adds.

The IDF had seen traces of where Sinwar had been previously, Hagari says, adding Sinwar's DNA was found in a tunnel close to where six hostages were killed a few weeks ago.

Jonah Fisher
Reporting from Tiberias

The killing of Yahya Sinwar has led to celebrations here on the banks of the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel.

The road through the centre of Tiberias has been blocked and several hundred people are now dancing, waving flags and loud music is playing.

“It’s very good“ Nissim Weizmann tells me as he sat outside a grocery shop in the town.

"He’s a bad man and his time has come. This is a present for everyone. Both Palestinians who are with us and the Jews."

“For me it’s nothing. It’s only one terrorist.” Dvir Vasser tells me as he puffs on a shisha pipe in a bar by the water’s edge.

"You kill one you get four."

His drinking companion is more direct.

“I’d like to stamp on his head. All the country, even the Arab villagers around here. are happy.”

Emergency services under pressure following Jabalia strikepublished at 20:48 British Summer Time 17 October

20:48 BST 17 October

By Paul Brown and Richard Irvine-Brown

BBC Verify has been analysing videos following a strike at Abu Hussein School in Jabalia, northern Gaza, which displaced people were using as shelter. At least 22 people were reportedly killed in the attack.

A video filmed at the nearby Kamal Adwan Hospital, posted on Instagram by a Palestinian photojournalist at around 14:01 local time (12:01 BST) shows at least four bodies on the floor, with medical staff pushing past dozens of other people to reach them.

We matched the room to a photograph from a Syrian state news report from the hospital on 11 October, in which we see the same pictures on the wall.

Another video, posted on Instagram at around 14:32 in Gaza and filmed by a man wearing a paramedic uniform, shows injured people - some motionless - being loaded onto ambulances. We've pinpointed it to an open space about 80m southwest of the school.

The video shows his colleague performing chest compressions on a child on the pavement. It ends inside the same hospital room as before. We can see five bodies still receiving treatment on the floor.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) says five Israeli soldiers were killed in combat in southern Lebanon yesterday.

In a statement, the IDF adds nine soldiers have been severely injured in southern Lebanon and Gaza since Wednesday.

While we've been reporting on the killing of Yahya Sinwar in southern Gaza, Lebanon has reported more Israeli air strikes in parts of the country again today, as conflict with Hezbollah continues.

The Israeli military issued several evacuation warnings and strikes were reported in the village of Tamnin al-Fawqa, in the southern Bekaa region, as well as a village near the coastal city of Tyre earlier today.

Lebanon's state-affiliated National News Agency also said that the town of Al-Khiam was hit by seven air strikes in less than 10 minutes at around midnight last night.

Here are some pictures capturing the aftermath of the strikes:

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Sinwar’s death could open up a path for Israel’s leader to declare victorypublished at 20:07 British Summer Time 17 October

20:07 BST 17 October

Lucy Williamson
Reporting from Israel

For over a year, one man has stood between Israel’s prime minister and the promises he made after the 7 October Hamas attacks.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s promise of “total victory” over Hamas was militarily flawed, many said, but also politically impossible with Yahya Sinwar alive and in charge.

Sinwar’s death could open up a path for Israel’s leader to declare victory – and even a formal end to the war.

But it may also make it harder to put in place plans for the day after – and to find more than 100 Israeli hostages in Gaza, and bring them back. Hamas control on the ground – already frayed by breakdowns in communications, and civil order – could be further eroded further by the loss of its leader, and a transfer of power under chaotic conditions.

Reports that Yahya Sinwar was killed while running for cover in plain sight, jar with Israel’s assessment that he was hiding deep in Gaza’s tunnels, surrounded by Israeli hostages as protection.

That raises questions over how many hostages are still alive, and how much pressure Sinwar himself may have been under.

Who might succeed him is still an open question, with many top Hamas leaders inside Gaza already killed. Israeli forces are still fighting in Gaza.

For Hamas, victory still means survival. But for Israel’s leader, a big part of victory is the death of Yahya Sinwar.

Here's what we know about about Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar's death so far:

• The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) says it killed Sinwar in the southern Gaza Strip as IDF troops were operating there following intelligence that "indicated the suspected locations of senior members of Hamas"
• Soldiers from its 828th Brigade killed three "terrorists" there, one of whom was later confirmed as Sinwar, the IDF says
• He was identified through dental and fingerprint analysis, Israeli police say
• The exact timings are unclear - the IDF says Sinwar was killed yesterday, while Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz says he was killed today
• Israeli's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was killed in Rafah, a city in the far south of the territory on the border with Egypt while fleeing IDF forces
• Confirmation of the death followed hours of speculation, after the IDF said earlier it was investigating the possibility it had killed him
• Extremely graphic images have been circulating online today showing a body bearing a striking resemblance to Sinwar – the BBC has not yet been able to verify them
• Hamas is yet to comment

More now from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement, which includes some details and claims we had not yet heard from officials.

He says that Sinwar and "many of the mass murderers" of Hamas were hiding in Rafah, a city in the far south Gaza on the border with Egypt.

Netanyahu also claims that the Hamas leader was "eliminated while fleeing in panic" from Israeli soldiers.

"It is now clear to everyone why Israel insisted on not ending the war", he goes on to say, adding that it entered Rafah despite international pressure not to do so.

Netanyahu also gives a stark warning to anyone holding hostages in Gaza, saying "whoever lays down their weapon and returns our hostages will be allowed to leave and live".

"At the same time, whoever harms our hostages, his blood is on his own head. We will settle accounts with him," he adds.

How will Hamas respond?published at 19:15 British Summer Time 17 October

19:15 BST 17 October

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

The default response for Hamas after this will be to declare Yahya Sinwar a "martyr", vow revenge and a determination to continue the resistance and fight against Israel, then swiftly appoint someone with hardcore fighting credentials to replace him.

Anything else would signal a radical departure from the norm. Hamas is, after all, an Arabic acronym for "Islamic Resistance Movement".

But right now, it is anyway hard to see the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu stopping here as it seeks to eliminate its enemies one-by-one around the region.

We've just been hearing from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who describes Sinwar as having been behind “the worst massacre in our people’s history since the Holocaust".

He says that, while Israel "settled the score with him”, the "task before us is still not complete” - as Israel will continue its fight until the hostages are brought home.

Addressing people in Gaza, Netanyahu says "Sinwar destroyed your lives" and that now that he is dead “Hamas will no longer control" the territory, describing this as as an opportunity for them to free themselves "from its tyranny".

“The return of our hostages is an opportunity to achieve all our goals and brings us closer to the end of the war,” he says.