Hamas named its Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar as successor to former political chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran last week, the group said on Tuesday, in a move that reinforces the radical path pursued since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Along with Mohammed Deif and the senior military wing, Sinwar is considered the architect of the October 7 massacre and, since the war began, he has been hiding in tunnels under Gaza
Shortly after the announcement of Sinwar's appointment, rocket alert sirens sounded in southern Ashkelon, Sderot, Ibim, Nir Am and Zikim. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the rocket fire at Israel. Three rockets were launched from the northern Gaza; one was intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system and two fell in open areas without causing any casualties or damage. Since July 5, there have been 58 rocket launches from the Gaza Strip toward Israel.
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Yahya Sinwar has been names as Ismail Haniyeh;s replacement
(Photos: AP, IDF spokesperson's unit )
Even though he is in hiding, Sinwar manages to communicate with the outside and make decisions regarding cease-fire negotiations and hostage deals. He even managed to convey a message of condolence to Ismail Haniyeh after his sons were killed in the Gaza Strip in April. Hamas officials told the ASharq al-Awsat newspaper that there are three people who know where Sinwar is, and that they provide for his needs. "He is constantly updated, communicates and is involved in developments," the Hamas officials said.
In statements at the beginning of the month to the London-based Arabic language newspaper, the Hamas officials said that communication with Sinwar took place mainly "during the decisive periods of the negotiations," however, they did not specify how they were conducted and whether it was direct or indirect communication. The sources claimed that "it is a very small circle that knows his whereabouts. No more than two or three people who provide for his various needs and maintain his communication with the other leaders of the movement."
According to the report at the beginning of the month, the sources did not deny - and did not confirm - the news that Sinwar has survived Israeli assassination attempts during the current war, and did not indicate whether IDF forces have come near the hiding place where he is staying. They also avoided revealing clues to his location, nor gave away whether he is currently aboveground or in the tunnels. They said that "the occupation failed to reach many of the leaders of the first and second ranks of Hamas, but tried to assassinate some of them. Some of them were injured and some survived and came out unscathed from the bombing operations in different areas."
The forces of the 98th Division came close to Sinwar during the operations in Khan Yunis, when Sinwar was said to be walking in flip flops and without a weapon, but they were unable to get him. Hamas often uses secret doors with double doors that are easily destroyed, which hide or make it difficult to pass during the underground pursuits that the IDF conducted against the senior members of the terrorist army.
The CIA chief's assessment of Sinwar
The CIA estimates that Sinwar is under increasing pressure from his military commanders to accept the cease-fire agreement and the release of the hostages and end the war with Israel, CIA head Bill Burns said recently at a conference, CNN reported, citing a source who participated in it.
According to Burns, Sinwar "isn't worried about the death toll" among the terrorist group's members, but he faces increasing blame for the extent of the suffering in Gaza. U.S. intelligence sources believe that Sinwar is hiding in the tunnels under his hometown of Khan Yunis, from where he makes the key decisions for Hamas regarding the deal.
Since the assassination of Haniyeh in Tehran, the Arab world has been concerned with the question of who will replace him as the head of the political bureau of Hamas. The Al-Arabiya network reported Tuesday morning that Abu Omar Hassan, who is known as Muhammad Ismail Darwish and is the head of the Shura Council of Hamas, was chosen as Haniyeh's replacement.
The assassination in Tehran created chaos in the movement's institutions because of the difficulty in choosing a replacement. In recent days, there were estimates that Khaled Meshaal would return to the position he stopped filling in 2017, but it seems that Sinwar did not give his blessing to the move.