Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the Oct 7, 2023 attack that triggered the Gaza war, was killed on Thursday, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said. His killing by Israeli forces operating in Gaza marks a huge success for Israel and a pivotal event in the year-long war - although there are a number of possible scenarios. "Mass murderer Yahya Sinwar, who was responsible for the massacre and atrocities of October 7, was killed today by IDF soldiers," Katz said in a statement. "This is a great military and moral achievement for Israel and a victory for the entire free world against the axis of evil of radical Islam led by Iran," Katz said. "Sinwar's assassination creates the opportunity for the immediate release of the hostages and to bring about a change that will lead to a new reality in Gaza - without Hamas and Iranian control." Earlier, the Israeli army and police carried out DNA checks on the corpse of the man believed to be that of their arch-foe. There was no immediate comment from Hamas. In Israel, families of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza said they hoped that a ceasefire could now be reached that would bring home the captives. In Gaza, residents said they believed the war would go on. The demise of Sinwar is a major boost to the Israeli military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the devastating war in the Palestinian enclave grinds on into a second year. Sinwar, who was named as Hamas' overall leader following the assassination of political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July, was believed to have been hiding in the warren of tunnels Hamas has built under Gaza over the past two decades. His death could dial up hostilities in the Middle East where the prospect of an even wider conflict has grown. But the end of the man who planned the attack last year in which fighters killed 1,200 people in Israel and captured more than 250 hostages could also help push forward stalled efforts to end the war that the attack triggered. During the year-long conflict, Israel has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians. Israel's Army Radio said the incident had occurred during a ground operation in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip during which Israeli troops killed three militants and took their bodies. A ruthless enforcer once tasked with punishing Palestinians suspected of informing for Israel, Sinwar made his name as a prison leader. He emerged as a street hero from a 22-year Israeli sentence for masterminding the abduction and murder of two Israeli soldiers and four Palestinians. He then quickly rose to the top of the Hamas ranks. He was dedicated to eradicating Israel. Israel has carried out relentless airstrikes and ground operations to try and reach Netanyahu's goal of destroying Hamas.

The government is set to repatriate documented Bangladeshi nationals from Lebanon, with the first group of 50 expatriates scheduled to return home on October 20, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said on Thursday.  "We are taking immediate steps to bring back expatriates in two batches, around 50 people each, on October 20 and 22," Hossain told reporters at a briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He explained that limited seat availability on flights from Beirut has constrained the number of returnees.  "Given the flight capacity, we are exploring options to transport a larger group by sea to Turkey, from where they will fly to Bangladesh," he added. Bangladeshis caught in Lebanon's crisis seek to go home A total of 36,145 Bangladeshi nationals were accounted for across all 26 districts of Lebanon. Almost half of the identified Bangladeshi nationals (49%) were females, including girls below the age of 18. The number of Bangladeshi workers going to Lebanon has almost doubled this year compared to 2023. Last year, 2,594 workers travelled to Lebanon on work visas, while in the first seven months of this year, 4,225 people have made the journey, according to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training. Bangladeshis rank as the top two nationalities hosted in Lebanon (22%) and 58 per cent of the Bangladeshi nationals were identified in Mount Lebanon governorate followed by Beirut (21%) and South (11%) governorates.

The Indian Supreme Court has upheld the validity of a crucial citizenship provision tied to the Assam Accord, which grants citizenship to Bangladeshi refugees who entered India before 1971, according to NDTV. Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, introduced in 1985, permits Bangladeshi refugees who entered the country between 1966 and 1971 to register as Indian citizens. A five-judge bench, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, upheld the constitutionality of Section 6A with a four-to-one majority. Justice JB Pardiwala dissented, while the bench also comprised Justices Surya Kant, MM Sundresh, and Manoj Misra. "The court's decision means that the non-resident Indians who came from Bangladesh between Jan 1, 1966 and Mar 25, 1971 are eligible for citizenship. Those who have got citizenship under this will retain their citizenship," the bench said. The order came following a petition that contended the arrival of Bangladeshi refugees saying it had impacted the demographic balance of Assam. Section 6A of the Citizenship Act violated the political and cultural rights of the original residents of the state, it said. The Chief Justice said the enactment of Section 6A was a "political solution" to a unique problem faced by Assam since the influx of refugees had threatened its culture and demography. 2 to 6 crore Bangladeshi migrants in India' – India TV "The central government could have extended the act to other areas as well, but it did not do so because it was unique to Assam. The number of migrants coming to Assam and their impact on culture etc. is higher in Assam. The impact of 4 million migrants in Assam is more than that of 5.7 million in West Bengal because the land area in Assam is less than that of West Bengal," the chief justice said. In response to a massive refugee influx during the war of independence in Bangladesh, the Assam Accord was signed on Aug 15, 1985, between the centre and representatives of the Assam movement. Section 6A was added to the Citizenship Act to allow the migrants arriving before Mar 25, 1971 to get Indian citizenship, but without voting rights. This was a humanitarian measure. The Supreme Court said the centre was right in its contention that uncontrolled immigration in Assam affected its culture and that it's the duty of the government to prevent illegal immigration. Holding that Mar 25, 1971 was a reasonable cut-off date, the court contended that Section 6A was neither under-inclusive nor over-inclusive. "Citizenship can be given between the cut-off dates subject to fulfilling the conditions. Immigrants who enter after Mar 25, 1971 cannot be conferred citizenship," said Justice Surya Kant.