President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu react after Israel says it killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. And billionaires Mark Cuban and Elon Musk speak to voters in battleground states. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, Oct. 18, 2024.

Israel says it killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza

Israeli forces have killed the man they say was the chief architect of the Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which started the ongoing war in Gaza. They had been trying to get Yahya Sinwar for a year, describing him as a “dead man walking” in the days after Hamas’ first attack.

However, it appears that while Israeli forces had been tipped off Sinwar was in the Rafah area, troops just happened to come across him unknowingly during battle. It was not until later they realized they had killed Israel’s most wanted man.

The IDF released drone video of what appears to be Sinwar’s final moments, showing a man with a wounded hand, who they say is Sinwar, sitting down in a destroyed building and throwing a piece of wood at the drone. They say Sinwar’s body was found with a bulletproof vest, grenades, and 40,000 Israeli shekels.

“Since the beginning of this war that Sinwar started on October 7 — we’ve said: Our war is with Hamas, not the people of Gaza. We mean it.”

IDF Spokesperson RAdm. Daniel Hagari on the elimination of Yahya Sinwar and our operational goals in Gaza: pic.twitter.com/OgkgUc5Bhi

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 17, 2024

Israeli leaders celebrated his killing as a settling of scores and said it could be a turning point in the war. 

“While this is not the end of the war in Gaza, it’s the beginning of the end,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “To the people of Gaza, I have a simple message: this war can end tomorrow. It can end if Hamas lays down its arms and returns our hostages.” 

U.S. officials are hoping with Sinwar out of the picture, a cease-fire can finally be reached between Israel and Hamas. President Joe Biden, who has already tried to broker cease-fire deals, seemed to have renewed hope when speaking to reporters Thursday, Oct. 17. 

“Now’s the time to move on,” he said. “Move on, move toward a ceasefire in Gaza, make sure that we move in a direction that we’re able to make things better for the whole world. It’s time for this war to end and bring these hostages home.” 

President Biden said he’s sending Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel to help figure out what’s next. Netanyahu has said Israel will keep fighting until all the hostages taken on Oct. 7 are free, and that it will keep control over Gaza long enough to ensure Hamas does not rearm. 

While Sinwar’s death has sparked optimism the war in Gaza will soon end, it won’t be the end of fighting in the Middle East. 

Just this month, Israel opened a new front against the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon after a year of trading cross-border fire. Hezbollah had been striking Israel as a show of solidarity with Hamas. 

In the wake of Sinwar’s death, Hezbollah announced a “transition to a new and escalating phase in the confrontation with Israel.”

Musk, Cuban talk election as candidates take part in charity event

As the 2024 presidential campaign inches closer to its final two weeks, the candidates each garnered the support of two billionaire representatives to spread their message to voters on Thursday. 

SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has appeared alongside Republican candidate former President Donald Trump at recent events, held a town hall at a Pennsylvania high school near Philadelphia. Musk called on Pennsylvanians to register to vote and described the importance of the battleground state to this election. 

“You show what matters by your actions, not your words, and my actions are I’m here,” Musk said. “I’m in Pennsylvania, and I’m here for a very important reason, which, yeah, which is, I can’t emphasize, I can’t emphasize enough that Pennsylvania is, I think, the linchpin in this election. And this election, I think is going to decide the fate of America, and along with the fate of America, the fate of Western civilization.” 

Meanwhile Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris called on NBA team owner and “Shark Tank” star Mark Cuban to reach voters during a rally at a college campus in Wisconsin. In his address to the crowd, Cuban took aim at Trump’s trade policies. 

“I mean back in the 90s, in the early 2000s, he was a little bit coherent when he talked about trade policy, and he actually made a little bit of sense,” Cuban said, “but I don’t know what happened to him. The way he’s been thinking about tariffs and trade now, something’s a little bit lost. And now his trade policies, particularly with tariffs, are basically just gibberish.” 

As for the candidates themselves, they both made an appearance at Thursday night’s Al Smith charity dinner in New York City, which raises millions of dollars for Catholic charities and is a traditional stop for both parties toward the end of the election cycle. However, breaking from tradition, Vice President Harris did not appear in person. 

Instead, she sent in a video in which she appeared alongside former Saturday Night Live star Molly Shannon, who reprised her famous character Mary Katherine Gallagher.

“It is a very important dinner, and it’s an important tradition. And I’m so proud to be a part of,” Harris said.

In his speech, former President Trump criticized Harris for not showing up to the event in person. Harris is the first presidential candidate to do that since 1984. 

“It’s been a long tradition for both Democrat and Republican candidates for President of the United States to attend this dinner,” Trump said. “You know, it is a rule; you got to go to the dinner. You got to do it. Otherwise bad things are going to happen to you from up there. You can’t do what I just saw on that screen. But my opponent feels like she does not have to be here, which is deeply disrespectful to the event and, in particular, to our great Catholic community. Very disrespectful.”

In a statement regarding her absence, the Harris campaign said the vice president was campaigning Thursday and “the campaign wants to maximize her time in battlegrounds this close to the election.”

Texas execution of man in shaken baby case halted

The Texas Supreme Court halted the execution of a man sentenced to death for the 2002 murder of his 2-year-old daughter. 

A jury convicted Robert Roberson of killing the toddler in a case of “shaken baby syndrome,” which his attorneys, as well as Texas lawmakers and medical experts, now say was based on faulty and outdated scientific evidence related to the diagnosis. 

The last-minute stay came just over one-hour before Roberson’s death warrant was set to expire. However, a legal battle is still ongoing, and a new execution date could be set after Roberson’s potential testimony before Texas lawmakers next week. A House committee subpoenaed him on Wednesday, Oct. 16, as it reconsiders the lawfulness of his conviction.

Liam Payne’s preliminary autopsy report released; One Direction statement

A preliminary autopsy report from the Argentinian Public Prosecutor’s Office said pop singer Liam Payne died of “multiple traumas” and “internal and external bleeding.” The 31-year-old died Wednesday after falling from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. 

The autopsy found a total of 25 injuries on the singer’s body, suffered from the fall. The prosecutor’s office has requested additional studies to help in the investigation. 

On social media, Payne’s One Direction bandmates paid tribute to their friend in a joint statement Thursday, saying, “We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing. In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly. The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam.”