Gaza’s Yahya Sinwar Named Successor to Assassinated Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh
Hamas announced Yahya Sinwar as the new head of its political bureau following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week. Sinwar, the architect behind the devastating October 7 attack on Israel, has been in hiding in Gaza, eluding Israeli attempts to kill him since the conflict began.
“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 group stated.
The news was met with a barrage of rockets from Gaza, signaling ongoing militant resistance against Israeli forces in the besieged enclave. A regional diplomat involved in Egyptian and Qatari-brokered negotiations remarked, “The appointment means that Israel needs to face Sinwar over a solution to the Gaza war. It is a message of toughness and it is uncompromising.”
Sinwar, 61, who spent significant time in Israeli prisons, rose to prominence as a formidable leader within Hamas. Following Haniyeh’s assassination, the region teeters on the edge of wider conflict, with Iran promising severe retaliation.
While Israel has not officially claimed responsibility for Haniyeh’s killing, it has confirmed targeting other senior Hamas leaders, including Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut and military commander Mohammed Deif. Israel’s chief military spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, declared Sinwar responsible for the October 7 attack, stating, “There is only one place for Yahya Sinwar, and it is beside Mohammed Deif and the rest of the October 7 terrorists.”
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