Hamas announced that October 7th, mastermind Yahya Sinwar would be the new leader of the terror group’s “political bureau,” its highest-ranking position following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh last week.
Sinwar, a former prisoner who was released in exchange for kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, has assumed a leadership role in Hamas since 2017 and was elected to the top position by Hamas’s 50-strong Shura Council.
Sinwar is believed to be hiding in Gaza’s extensive tunnel system and possibly using hostages as human shields.
According to some reports, Sinwar was the most intransigent Hamas leader regarding the hostage release deal, and his new leadership position is likely to further complicate any agreement on releasing captives.
Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan said in an interview that the selection of Sinwar was meant to send a message to Israel that Hamas was not beaten.
“The person leading today is the one who led the fighting for more than 305 days and is still steadfast in the field,” Hamdan said.
