Yahya Sinwar (leftmost) has been named the new Political Bureau head of Hamas after Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran. Image source: Hadi Mohammad, via Wikimedia Commons.
Hamas has named Yahya Sinwar as the new head of the organisation’s Political Bureau, following the assassination of his predecessor last week.
On Tuesday 6 August, Hamas announced Sinwar’s appointment in a brief statement aired on Iranian state media channels.
“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 [God] have mercy on him,” the statement said.
Sinwar is a founding member of Hamas and has led the group in Gaza since 2017.
Ramallah-based Palestinian political analyst Nour Odeh told Al Jazeera that Sinwar “has skyrocketed to an influential position in Hamas, leading it in Gaza.”
“The choice of Hamas to name him leader of the movement now puts Gaza front and centre of, not just the events on the ground, but certainly of the dynamics in the Hamas movement,” said Odeh.
“And it really sends a signal, as far as negotiations of a ceasefire is concerned, that Gaza calls the shots.”
Sinwar succeeds Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed on 31 July while visiting Tehran for the inauguration of Iran’s new president Masoud Pezeshkian.
Hamas and Iranian officials claimed Israel was responsible for the attack — Israel has neither confirmed nor denied their involvement.
Israeli chief military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari blamed Sinwar for orchestrating the Hamas attacks inside Israeli territory on 7 October last year.
More 1,100 people were killed in the attack and more than 200 taken captive.
Israel’s subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed at least 39,653 Palestinians — including over 15,000 children — and injured more than 91,535 people, while more than 10,000 people are missing.
The Israel–Hamas war has displaced almost the entire 2.3 million population of Gaza and caused widespread starvation and health emergencies.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is seeking arrest warrants for Sinwar among other Hamas and Israeli leaders over allegations of war crimes.
