• Hamas names Yahya Sinwar as new overall leader
• Sinwar succeeds Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran last week
• Sinwar had been serving as the leader of Hamas inside the Gaza Strip since 2017
• The announcement comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East

Hamas names Yahya Sinwar as new overall leader

Following two days of intensive negotiations in Doha, Hamas has appointed Yahya Sinwar as its new overall chief. Sinwar succeeds Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran last week.

Previously serving as the leader of Hamas inside the Gaza Strip since 2017, Sinwar will now head the group’s political wing. His appointment was confirmed by a senior Hamas official, who described the decision as a unanimous one by the Hamas leadership.

The announcement comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East, with Iran and its allies threatening retaliation for Haniyeh’s killing, which they attribute to Israel. Israel has not issued a comment on the matter.

The selection process, held over two days in Doha, involved Hamas’s top figures deliberating on the group’s next leader. The final candidates were Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Hassan Darwish, who leads the General Shura Council. The council unanimously chose Sinwar, sending what one Hamas official called “a message of defiance to Israel.”

Haniyeh, seen by diplomats as a pragmatic figure within Hamas, had driven much of the group’s political outreach. Sinwar, in contrast, is considered one of Hamas’s most extreme figures and is at the top of Israel’s most-wanted list. He is believed to have orchestrated the attacks on October 7, 2023, which resulted in over 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages taken to Gaza.

In the West Bank, where Hamas is not present, Israel is destroying the infrastructure in Palestinian cities. Why? pic.twitter.com/sODf852Usp

— Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) August 6, 2024

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz and Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Rear Adm Daniel Hagari both condemned Sinwar’s appointment, highlighting his role in past terrorist activities. Sinwar has not been seen in public since the October attacks and is thought to be hiding deep underground in Gaza.