Hamas has chosen Yahya Sinwar, its top official in Gaza, as the new leader of its political bureau. The selection of Sinwar, seen by Israel as the mastermind behind the October 7 attacks, follows Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination in Tehran on July 31, the group said on Tuesday.
“The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas announces the selection of Commander Yahya Sinwar as the head of the political bureau of the movement, succeeding the martyr Commander Ismail Haniyeh, may Allah have mercy on him,” the movement said in a brief statement.
Haniyeh’s assassination, almost certainly carried out by Israel, sent shockwaves through the region and was seen by many as an effort by the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to scuttle efforts to negotiate a ceasefire, in which Haniyeh was a key figure.
Analysts say his replacement by Sinwar, who has gone largely unseen since the October 7 attack that killed about 1,200 people, and took about 250 captive in southern Israel, is an indicator of the central place
that Gaza occupies in the group’s political vision. (Agencies)
