JERUSALEM - The killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar could positively affect the release of Israeli hostages and help achieve the Israeli war's objectives, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday.

Sinwar's death could "positively influence the return of the hostages, the achievement of all war goals, and the post-war reality," said Netanyahu when meeting with visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, according to a statement released by the prime minister's office.

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The "friendly and productive" meeting in Jerusalem, in which the two discussed the "governance framework in Gaza for the day after the war," lasted two and a half hours, the statement said.

A press release by the US Department of State showed that Blinken "reaffirmed the United States' ironclad commitment to Israel's security" during the meeting.

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Following the meeting, Blinken wrote on social media platform X that he and Netanyahu "talked about the importance of seizing this opportunity to end the conflict in Gaza, return all hostages, and chart a path to lasting peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike."

Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and around 250 others taken hostage.

At least 18 people were killed on Tuesday in Israeli attacks in the northern Gaza Strip as Israel continues its military operation in the area, according to Palestinian sources.

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Palestinian medics told Xinhua that three Palestinians were killed and dozens injured when an Israeli warplane targeted a shelter in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 42,718, the Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Tuesday.

Sinwar was killed in an Israeli attack on southern Gaza in mid-October.