DOHA/GAZA – Hamas has unanimously chosen Yahya Sinwar to replace its assassinated leader Ismail Haniyeh, a move that is painted as “a message of defiance” to Israel.
Sinwar – a hardliner – is among those the United States has included in its blacklist of international terrorists.
Israel believes that he orchestrated the Oct 7 attacks and tops the list of most wanted persons, which Tel Aviv has prepared. He is currently reported to be hiding in Gaza and has not be seen since the Oct 7 attacks.
Previously serving as the Hamas leader in Gaza, Sinwar, 61, will now lead the group’s political wing.
DEAL WITH HARDLINERS
“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 have mercy on him,” the group said in a statement.
“They killed Haniyeh, the flexible person who was open to solutions. Now they have to deal with Sinwar and the military leadership,” a Hamas official told BBC.
He described as the move as “a message of defiance”, a move that shows Hamas will follow even more radical path in future.
A UNANIMOUS DECISION
Earlier, it was widely suggested that Khaled Meshaal – a pragmatic and moderate personality – would be appointed as the Hamas political chief.
However, Meshaal was among those who backed Sinwar during the consultations.
The development is a result of two days of talks held in Doha, during which the names of Sinwar and Mohammed Hassan Darwish came under consideration.
Darwish is a shadowy figure who heads the General Shura Council, a body that elects Hamas’s Politburo.
The council voted unanimously to choose Sinwar, in what one Hamas official described to the BBC as “a message of defiance to Israel”.
“They killed Haniyeh, the flexible person who was open to solutions. Now they have to deal with Sinwar and the military leadership,” the official said.
WHAT DOES ISRAEL SAY?
Reacting to the latest appointment, Israeli Foreign Minister described Sinwar as an “arch-terrorist”.
In a post shared on X, he went on to say that it “is yet another compelling reason to swiftly eliminate him and wipe this vile organization off the face of the Earth.
Similarly, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told Saudi TV channel Al-Arabiya that Sinwar “is responsible for the most brutal terrorist attack in history”.
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