Hamas leadership unanimously chose Yahya Sinwar as the new chief
Hamas leadership, after the two days of negotiations in Qatar, Doha ‘unanimously’ named Yahya Sinwar as successor to former leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated last week in Tehran.
According to BBC, the Hamas official said that the council voted unanimously for Sinwar as the new leader of the group and described this new appointment as ‘a message of defiance to Israel.’
Hamas said in a statement, “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 (God) have mercy on him.”
A Hamas official told BBC, “They killed Haniyeh, the flexible person who was open to solutions. Now they have to deal with Sinwar and the military leadership.”
Israel, which had earlier accused Sinwar as the mastermind of the October 7, 2023, attack, criticised his appointment.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “The appointment of arch-terrorist Yahya Sinwar as the new leader of Hamas, replacing Ismail Haniyeh, is yet another compelling reason to swiftly eliminate him and wipe this vile organisation off the face of the Earth.”
Israel Defence Forces spokesperson Rear Adm Daniel Hagari also called Sinwar a ‘terrorist’ and responsible for the ‘most brutal terrorist attack in history.’
