Hamas named Yahya Sinwar, the militant group’s Gaza chief, as its new chief following the assassination of leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week.
Hamas said in a statement carried by pro-Iranian media channels that Sinwar would succeed Haniyeh as head of the militant group’s political office, but did not offer any other details.
Sinwar is believed to be hiding in the vast network of tunnels beneath Gaza, away from the intense fighting between Israel and Hamas that has raged above ground for the past 10 months.
Although Israel aggressively pursues him, Sinwar remains an influential member of Hamas, including as the main decision-maker in the release of hostages and the ceasefire agreement being negotiated.
It is unclear how Hamas’s governing capabilities will be affected by transferring all of the group’s political decisions to a hidden leader.
Haniyeh was killed in a bomb attack on a residence in Tehran last Wednesday. Iran blamed his death on Israel, which neither confirmed nor denied the murder, and promised to respond.
Israel has ousted several senior Hamas leaders, including top military commander Mohammed Deif, who Israeli forces acknowledged last week was killed in a July attack.
Another Hamas political leader, Saleh al-Arouri, was killed in January, and a senior commander in March.
Hamas was severely degraded in the war, but continues to mount resistance against Israeli forces, even in previously devastated areas.
Israel has vowed to completely destroy Hamas in retaliation for the October 7 attack, in which around 1,200 people were killed. Hamas also captured around 250 people, of which around 115 are still expected to remain detained in Gaza. More than 39,000 people have died in Gaza since the start of the war.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
