Hamas has named Yahya Sinwar — belived to be the mastermind of the October 7 attack — as it’s new leader following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week.
Since 2017, Sinwar has served as the group’s leader inside the Gaza strip. He will now become leader of its political wing.
The Hamas leadership unanimously chose Sinwar to lead the movement, BBC reported.
Hamas’ representative in Iran, Khaled Kaddoumi, called Sinwar a “consensus choice” popular among all factions and involved in the group’s decision-making throughout, including in negotiations, Fox News reported. In a voice message to the Associated Press, he said Sinwar knows the political aspirations of the Palestinians for a state and the return of refugees but is also a “fierce fighter on the battlefield.”
The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sinwar “has been and remains the primary decider when it comes to concluding the cease-fire.”
Read also: World leaders condemn the killing of Hamas leader, Haniyeh
He said Sinwar must “decide whether to move forward with a cease-fire that manifestly will help so many Palestinians in desperate need, women, children, men who are caught in a crossfire. … It really is on him.”
Sinwar currently tops Israel’s most-wanted list.
According to the Times of Israel, Sinwar has been hiding out in Gaza since the slaughter he planned and orchestrated 10 months ago. The IDF in February published a video, filmed on October 10, said to show him walking through a Gaza tunnel with several of his family members. “The hunt for Sinwar will not stop until we catch him, dead or alive,” IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a press conference upon releasing the footage.
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