Graham says Israel has window to ‘replace Hamas forever’ after Sinwar killing: ‘Door is now open’

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Israel has an opportunity to have new leadership in the Gaza Strip, urging action following last week’s killing of Hamas leader and mastermind of the Oct. 7 attacks, Yahya Sinwar. 

“There’s a window here not only to end the fighting, but to replace Hamas forever,” Graham said in an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “And the way you do that, is you have normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel. With the death of Sinwar, the door is now open to not only find a way to get Israel to turn over Gaza and eventually Lebanon, but to have it replaced by an Arab coalition offering a better life to the Palestinians.” 

“I’ve never been more hopeful that normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel is possible,” he added. “I’ve been working with the Biden administration over a year and a half. I think we’re very close.” 

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Sen. Lindsey Graham at a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on July 31, 2024. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

Graham, who has been working with the Biden administration to broker a deal for Israel and Saudi Arabia to establish diplomatic ties by the end of the year, also told NBC host Kristen Welker that he anticipated a counterattack by Israel against Iran soon but declined to supply a more specific timeline.

“I don’t have any direct knowledge, but I know they’re serious about hitting back,” Graham said, referencing Iran’s recent launching of nearly 200 missiles at Israel. “I think it will be soon, and I think it will be a hard hit. But again, the more you can diminish Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas, better for the region. I think a normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel, which is the key, is more possible than ever.” 

President Biden talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House, July 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

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Meanwhile, the U.S. is reportedly investigating an unauthorized leak of classified documents with U.S. intelligence regarding Israel’s planned strikes against Iran posted to Telegram last week. 

Banners with the photograph of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader who was killed in an Israeli attack, are hung on the streets of Tehran, Iran, on Oct. 19, 2024. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Iran supports Hamas and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah, which are both designated by the State Department as foreign terrorist organizations. The U.S. is urging Israel to press for a cease-fire in Gaza following last week’s killing of Sinwar. But neither Israel nor Hamas has shown interest in such a deal after months of negotiations sputtered to a halt in August, The Associated Press reported. 

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Israel’s government said a drone targeted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s house on Saturday, with no casualties, as fighting with Hezbollah and Hamas terrorists showed no pause. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.