The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas says it has selected Gaza-based Commander Yahya Sinwar as the new political leader of the group after Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in an Israeli attack in the Iranian capital of Tehran.
In a statement on Tuesday, Hamas announced “the selection of Commander Yahya Sinwar as head of the movement’s political bureau, succeeding the martyred leader Ismail Haniyeh, may Allah have mercy on him.”
Haniyeh was assassinated in an attack on his residence in the early hours of July 31, in the Iranian capital Tehran, where he had attended the swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s newly-elected president, Masoud Pezeshkian, a day earlier.
He was the second high-profile Hamas leader to be assassinated by Israel since Operation Al-Aqsa Storm on October 7, 2023, after Salah al-Arouri’s assassination in southern Beirut on January 2.
The Islamic Republic declared three days of national mourning for the loss of the Palestinian resistance leader, vowing a harsh response to punish the occupying entity.
Sinwar, a high-ranking Hamas military commander, became the leader of Hamas in the besieged Gaza Strip in February 2017, taking over from Haniyeh.
He was a key architect of the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm that Hamas launched against the occupying regime in response to its decades-long campaign of oppression and devastation against Palestinians.
Sinwar, 61, is also among the top Hamas targets sought by the Israeli regime, which has put a $400,000 bounty on his head following the October 7 operation.
Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official, said the election of Sinwar as political leader was a unanimous decision by the movement’s leadership.
The selection of Sinwar shows the dynamic nature of Hamas and reflects an understanding of where the movement is headed.
It also sends a clear message, he said, that Hamas has chosen a leader who has been a custodian of jihad and struggle on the battlefield in Gaza for over 300 days.
Hamdan pointed out that the team responsible for negotiating with mediators on a potential ceasefire in Gaza, which was led by Haniyeh, will now be led by Sinwar.
