What happened in Nazi Germany after Hitler’s suicide may offer some parallels to consider now that Yahya Sinwar is dead.

After Hitler’s death, the Third Reich continued fighting for 10 days, but many top Nazis shifted to self-preservation, making desperate overtures to the Allies. They ignored Hitler’s “scorched earth” directive, in which he wanted Germany to be left a dystopian wasteland for the victors.

Sinwar and Hitler shared a nihilistic apocalyptic worldview. Their sadistic narcissism drove them to punish those they believe had failed them. For Hitler, this meant turning on the German people, while Sinwar was willing to sacrifice Gazan civilians as a cynical strategy to shield Hamas and shift international public opinion. The huge anti-Israel demonstrations in world capitals and on college campuses illustrated its success as the memories of the October 7 atrocities. Sinwar’s unwavering Islamist fanaticism made him Israel’s fiercest foe but also the most devastating leader for Palestinians.

Now that Sinwar is gone, will the surviving Hamas commanders, like the Nazis decades ago, attempt to save themselves? If so, it might present Israel an opportunity to push for a resolution to the Gaza conflict. A cessation of fighting is only possible with the release of all hostages, the dismantling of Hamas’s remaining political infrastructure, and the complete demilitarization of Gaza. Achieving such goals would be extremely difficult, but Sinwar’s death creates an opening that was unthinkable while he was alive and running Hamas.