Gaza [Palestine], August 7: According to Politico , Hamas announced on August 6 that it had chosen Yahya Sinwar as the new leader of its political apparatus, replacing Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated on July 31 in Tehran, Iran. Iran and Hamas accused Israel of being behind the assassination, but the country neither admitted nor denied it.
Israel has recently killed several senior Hamas officials, including the head of the group's military wing, Mohammed Deif. Hamas has not confirmed Deif's death.
Those assassinations made Mr. Sinwar, who was the head of the force in the Gaza Strip, the force's most influential figure.
The selection of Mr. Sinwar suggests that Hamas leadership has been transferred from exile to the Gaza Strip. Exiled figures such as Mr. Haniyeh, who has lived in Qatar since 2019, often hold an overall leadership role guiding Hamas's relations with its outside allies.
The selection of Sinwar signals that Hamas will continue to fight after 10 months of fighting with Israel. It is also expected to provoke Israel, which has placed Sinwar at the top of its hit list since the October 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200 Israelis.
Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari commented on Hamas' new leader: "There is only one place for Yahya Sinwar, and that is next to Mohammed Deif and the rest of the terrorists of October 7. That is the only place we are preparing for him."
The election of Yahya Sinwar also comes at a sensitive time when fears are high that the conflict could escalate into a regional war. Iran has vowed to attack Israel in revenge for Haniyeh's death, and Lebanon's Hezbollah has said it will do the same in retaliation for the killing of military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut.
The West and some Arab countries are trying to calm the situation and salvage the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, which has been shaken by the assassinations. However, Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan told Al-Jazeera after announcing the new leader that Sinwar would continue to negotiate a ceasefire, noting that the will of the group had not been broken.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper