Hamas has named Yahya Sinwar as its new leader, replacing Ismail Haniyeh who was murdered in Tehran last week.
Since 2017, Sinwar has been the leader of the group in the Gaza Strip. He will now become the leader of its political wing.
Sinwar is believed to still be in the Gaza Strip, but his current whereabouts are unknown.
The announcement comes at a time of heightened tension in the Middle East as Iran and its allies threaten retaliation for Haniyeh’s killing, which they blame on Israel. Israel has not commented.
“The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas announces the election of leader Yahya Sinwar as head of the movement’s political bureau,” a Hamas statement said.
Sinwar currently tops Israel’s most wanted list. Israel’s security services believe he masterminded the planning and execution of the October 7, 2023 attacks that killed more than 1,200 people and took 251 hostages back to Gaza.
Sinwar has not been seen in public since the October attacks and is believed to be hiding “ten floors underground” in Gaza. according to the US Secretary of State Antonius Blinken.
Hamas has not yet released details about how he will lead the group’s political bureau.
In 2015, the US blacklisted Sinwar as an “international terrorist”.
