Israel announced Thursday that its soldiers have killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in a routine patrol in the southern Gaza Strip.

The 62-year-old, chosen to lead Hamas after the Israeli assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in July, had been at the top of Israel’s hit list, and had been believed to be hiding in the vast network of tunnels built beneath Gaza over the past two decades, protected by bodyguards and what Israel has repeatedly called a “human shield of hostages”.

Killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar could bring the devastating war in Gaza closer to an end, experts say – if Israel and its allies can seize the opportunity.