In a significant leadership shift within Hamas, Yahya Sinwar has been appointed as the new head of its "political bureau," the organization's highest-ranking position, following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week.
Sinwar, who has led Hamas in Gaza since 2017, is widely recognized as the mastermind behind the October 7, 2023, invasion and massacre in southern Israel. This brutal attack saw thousands of Hamas militants killing approximately 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, igniting the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Currently, it is believed that 111 of the hostages taken on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of 39 confirmed dead by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Hamas has openly declared its goal to destroy Israel.
Sinwar's selection was made by Hamas’s 50-member Shura Council, a consultative body composed of officials elected by Hamas members in Gaza, the West Bank, the diaspora, and Israeli prisons. Israeli officials speculate that Sinwar has been hiding in Hamas’s extensive tunnel network beneath Gaza since orchestrating the October 7 attacks. They suggest he might be in tunnels under Khan Younis or Rafah, possibly with hostages.
IDF spokesman Richard Hecht described Sinwar as the "face of evil" and declared him a "dead man walking" shortly after the October 7 events. The IDF released a video in February, filmed on October 10, showing Sinwar walking through a Gaza tunnel with several family members. IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari reaffirmed the military's commitment to capturing Sinwar, dead or alive, stating, “The hunt for Sinwar will not stop until we catch him, dead or alive.”
In response to Hamas's announcement, Hagari told the Saudi-based Al Arabiya news channel that Sinwar's place is with other terrorists responsible for the October 7 massacre, including Muhammad Deif, the commander of Hamas’s military wing, who was killed by the IDF in an airstrike in southern Gaza last month. Foreign Minister Israel Katz echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the urgency of eliminating Sinwar and dismantling Hamas.
A senior Hamas official stated that Sinwar’s selection as political bureau chief sends a "strong message" to Israel, signifying Hamas's continued commitment to resistance. Palestinian affairs analyst Ohad Hemo noted that Sinwar’s formal appointment as the most powerful figure in Hamas underscores the terror group’s confidence in his leadership, despite the organization's current dire situation in Gaza.
Born in the Khan Yunis refugee camp, Sinwar joined Hamas when it was founded by Sheikh Ahmad Yassin during the first Palestinian intifada in 1987. He established Hamas’s internal security apparatus and led an intelligence unit focused on identifying and punishing Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israel. Sinwar has a violent history, including allegedly strangling a suspected collaborator and serving multiple life sentences for killing Israeli soldiers and Palestinians suspected of aiding Israel. He was released in 2011 as part of a prisoner exchange for IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.
Sinwar’s ascension to the leadership of Hamas marks a pivotal moment for the organization, particularly as it faces immense pressure from the ongoing Israeli military efforts to dismantle its capabilities in Gaza.
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