Hamas has appointed Yahya Sinwarthe leader of the militant group in Gaza, as the new leader after the killing of the main leader Ismail Haniyeh last week in Tehran.
Hamas said in a statement shared by pro-Iranian media that Sinwar would succeed Haniyeh as head of the militant group’s political bureau, but gave no further details.
Sinwar is believed to be hiding in the vast network of tunnels beneath Gaza, far from the fierce fighting above ground between Israel and Hamas that has raged for the past 10 months.
Although Israel is actively searching for him, Sinwar is still an influential member of Hamas, including being the key decision maker in the release of the hostages and a ceasefire agreement currently being negotiated.
It is unclear what implications it will have for Hamas’s governing capacity if all of the group’s political decisions are placed in the hands of a leader in hiding.
Haniyeh was killed in a bomb attack on a house in Tehran last Wednesday. Iran has blamed his death on Israel, which has neither confirmed nor denied the killing and has vowed to respond.
Israel has taken out several key Hamas leaders, including top military commander Mohammed Deif, who the Israeli military said was killed last week in a July attack.
Another Hamas political leader, Saleh al-Arouri, was killed in January, and a senior commander in March.
Hamas has been severely weakened by the war, but continues to resist Israeli forces even in areas that had already been evacuated.
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas completely in retaliation for an Oct. 7 attack that killed about 1,200 people. Hamas also captured about 250 people, with 115 believed to still be trapped in Gaza. More than 39,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Visit The Hill for breaking news, weather, sports and streaming video.
