White House says Hamas’s selection of Sinwar to replace Haniyeh doesn’t change much

The White House says Hamas’s selection of Gaza Yahya Sinwar to replace assassinated politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh doesn’t change anything about the ongoing hostage negotiations.

Sinwar “has always been the chief decision-maker when it comes to negotiations over the course of these now [10] months, so in effect, nothing really changes in that regard,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby tells reporters in a briefing.

Kirby says Sinwar is a terrorist with “an awful lot of blood on his hands,” including American blood, and that “he needs to decide now to take this deal.”

Commenting on the US deployment of F-22 fighter jets to the region, Kirby says the warplanes can also be used for defensive missions

“The great thing about the F-22s and a lot of advanced fighter aircraft that we put in the air, is they can do a whole heck of a lot of things, and that includes defensive missions.”

“The military posture changes that [US Defense] Secretary [Lloyd] Austin directed at the president’s order are meant for defensive purposes only — to help defend Israel and to help defend our troops and our facilities and our own interests in the region,” Kirby says.