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| Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip Yahya Sinwar speaks during a rally marking Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day, in Gaza City, April 14, 2023. |
T he Hamas terror group announced on Tuesday that Yahya Sinwar will be the new head of its political bureau, the highest-ranking position within the organization. This follows the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week.
Sinwar, who has led Hamas in Gaza since 2017, is considered the mastermind behind the October 7, 2023, attack in southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the kidnapping of 251 hostages. It is believed that 111 of those hostages are still in Gaza, including the bodies of 39 individuals confirmed dead by the IDF. Hamas has consistently expressed its intent to destroy Israel.
Sinwar's selection was made by Hamas’s 50-member Shura Council, comprising officials elected by Hamas members in Gaza, the West Bank, the diaspora, and Israeli prisons.
Israeli officials believe Sinwar has been hiding in Hamas’s extensive tunnel network beneath Gaza since orchestrating the October 7 attack. It is thought he is in tunnels under Khan Younis or Rafah, possibly with hostages.
Following the October 7 incident, an IDF spokesman labeled Sinwar the "face of evil" and referred to him as a "dead man walking." In February, the IDF released a video showing Sinwar walking through a Gaza tunnel on October 10 with several family members. IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagaeri stated that the hunt for Sinwar will continue until he is captured or killed.
In an interview with Al Arabiya on Tuesday, Hagari emphasized that the only place for Sinwar is alongside Muhammad Deif and other terrorists responsible for the October 7 attack. Deif, the commander of Hamas’s military wing, was reportedly killed by an IDF airstrike in southern Gaza last month.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz also condemned Sinwar's appointment, stating that it provides further justification for eliminating him and dismantling Hamas.
A senior Hamas official told AFP that Sinwar’s selection sends a “strong message” to Israel, indicating that Hamas will persist in its resistance. Palestinian affairs analyst Ohad Hemo noted that this move solidifies Sinwar's power within Hamas and shifts the organization's leadership back to Gaza.
Born in the Khan Yunis refugee camp, Sinwar joined Hamas in 1987 and established its internal security apparatus. He was later imprisoned in Israel for his involvement in killings but was released in 2011 as part of a prisoner exchange for IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. Sinwar subsequently rose to a senior position in Hamas’s military wing and took over leadership in Gaza in 2017.
Both Hamas and Iran have accused Israel of the explosion that killed Haniyeh in Tehran. The Islamic Republic has vowed retaliation, although Israel has not commented on Haniyeh’s death.
An unsourced report claimed that the bomb that killed Haniyeh was planted by two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps agents recruited by the Mossad and detonated remotely.
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