Sinwar is top of Israel’s most-wanted list for masterminding the 7 October 2023 attacks
ADVERTISEMENTThe Palestinian militant group Hamas has chosen Yahya Sinwar, its top official in Gaza who masterminded the October 7 attacks in southern Israel, as its new leader.
Sinwar, a secretive figure who leads Hamas’ hardliners and is close to Iran, is at the top of Israel’s kill list after the attack which left 1200 people dead and about 250 taken hostage.
Hamas said in a statement on Tuesday that it had named Sinwar as the new head of its political bureau to replace Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Iran last week in a presumed Israeli strike. Also last week, Israel said it had confirmed the death of the head of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Deif, in a July airstrike in Gaza. Hamas has not confirmed his death.
Unlike Haniyeh, who had lived in exile in Qatar for years, Sinwar has remained in Gaza. As Hamas’ leader in the territory since 2017, he rarely appeared in public but kept an iron grip on Hamas’ rule. Close to Deif and the armed wing, known as the Qassam Brigades, he worked to build up the group’s military capabilities.
Sinwar has been in deep hiding since the October 7 attacks, while Israel unleashed its campaign in Gaza and the death toll among Palestinians, now near 40,000, rose.