The death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has raised hopes among Australian leaders of an impending end to the conflict in the Middle East.
Senior members of the government and opposition have welcomed the death of Sinwar, described as the "mastermind" of the October 7 attacks, in an Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
Sinwar had been killed during an Israeli operation in the area of Tal El Sultan, in the Gaza Strip's south.
"An ugly flame of vicious terrorism has been extinguished," opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said in a statement on Friday.
"Hopefully his death provides some justice to the families of those killed or taken on October 7."
Many are hoping the death of Yahya Sinwar will be the catalyst to end the war in the Middle East. (AP PHOTO)
Mr Birmingham said he was not only responsible for the deaths of Israelis in Hamas' initial attack in late 2023, but also the tens of thousands of Palestinians killed in Israel's ensuing occupation and assault on the territory since.
"May the elimination of another Iranian sponsored terrorist leader take the middle east one step closer to ultimate peace," he continued.
His sentiments were echoed by Treasurer Jim Chalmers.
"We don't mourn for one second the death of a terrorist leader, but we do mourn his victims, and we do mourn the tens of thousands of innocent lives lost to this conflict," he told ABC Radio National.
"We hope that his death helps and hastens bring an end to the war, because we want to see a ceasefire, we want to see humanitarian aid get in and we want to see his hostages released."
The death of Yahya Sinwar, the architect of October 7, is a huge milestone in this tragic war. — Allegra Spender (@spenderallegra) His death must serve as a catalyst to bring home the remaining hostages, achieve a lasting ceasefire, and end the suffering of civilians in this terrible conflict.October 17, 2024
Independent Wentworth MP Allegra Spender, who represents the federal electorate with the highest proportion of Jewish voters, said Sinwar's death was "a huge milestone in this tragic war".
"His death must serve as a catalyst to bring home the remaining hostages, achieve a lasting ceasefire, and end the suffering of civilians in this terrible conflict," she wrote on X.
More than 42,000 thousand people have been killed in Gaza since the start of Israel's offensive, according to the local health authority, and thousands more remained buried under rubble or missing.