US Vice President Harris calls for ceasefire after Hamas leader's killing

US Vice-President Kamala Harris said on Saturday that the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a "mastermind" of the attack that ignited the , presented an opportunity for a ceasefire in the Middle East.

"This creates an opening that I believe we must take full advantage of to dedicate ourselves to ending this war and bringing the hostages home," Harris told reporters. "As it relates to the issues in the Middle East and in particular in that region, it has never been easy. But that doesn't mean we give up. It's always going to be difficult."

Palestinian militant group Hamas on Friday confirmed its leader by the Israeli military in Gaza, a day after Israel announced his death.

"We mourn the great leader, the martyred brother, Yahya Sinwar, Abu Ibrahim," Qatar-based Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya said in a recorded video statement broadcast by Al Jazeera.

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was as he lay dying in the ruins of a building in southern Gaza , according to video released by Israel's military on Thursday.

As the drone hovered nearby, the video showed him throwing a stick at it, in an apparent act of desperation.