Hamas appoints Yahya Sinwar as new head after death of top leader

Hamas has appointed Yahya Sinwar, the militant group’s Gaza chief, as its new head after the assassination of top leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week.

Hamas said in a statement shared by pro-Iranian media channels that Sinwar would succeed Haniyeh as the head of the militant group’s political bureau, but did not offer any other details.

Sinwar is believed to be hiding in the vast tunnel network underneath Gaza, removed from the intense fighting between Israel and Hamas waged above ground for the past 10 months.

Although Israel is aggressively searching for him, Sinwar remains an influential member of Hamas, including as the key decisionmaker in a hostage release and cease-fire deal under negotiation.

It’s unclear how Hamas’s governing capabilities will be impacted by shifting all of the group’s political decisions to a leader in hiding.

Haniyeh was killed in a bombing at a residence in Tehran last Wednesday. Iran has blamed his death on Israel, which has neither confirmed nor denied the assassination, and vowed to respond.

Israel has taken out a number of key leaders of Hamas, including top military commander Mohammed Deif, who Israeli forces acknowledged last week was killed in a July strike.

Another Hamas political leader, Saleh al-Arouri, was killed in January, and a top commander in March.

Hamas has been severely degraded in the war but continues to mount resistance against Israeli forces, even in areas previously cleared out.

Israel has vowed to completely destroy Hamas in retaliation for an Oct. 7 attack in which they killed some 1,200 people. Hamas also took roughly 250 people captive, around 115 of whom are expected to still be held in Gaza. More than 39,000 people have died in Gaza since the war began.