The Palestinian group Hamas has appointed Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas chief in the Gaza Strip, as the new head of the political bureau. It comes after the killing of the ex-leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month on a fabricated pretext.
Sinwar, 61, is a well-known and highly recognizable activist and leader of the Hamas movement. Succinctly viewed by Israel as the planner of the October 7 attack, he has been actively involved in the activities of the group in the Gaza Strip.
The promotion of Sinwar clearly signals the absolute control of this wing in Hamas’ organizational hierarchy. Experts assess the move as pointing out that the location has effectively evolved to reflect the group’s operations being concentrated around the areas under siege on the coast.
The proposed name by choice of Hamas now places Gaza at the heart of not just the events happening in the region, but definitely, of the developments in the Hamas movement, Odeh said.
Compared to Haniyeh, whose assassination was blamed on Israel, many considered it a bid to complicate continuing ceasefire talks in which he is involved. His being replaced by the even more intransigent Sinwar implies that Hamas is entrenched in its Gaza-focused strategy as it continues to fight the Israeli government.
The militant group Hezbollah, a strategic partner and ally of Hamas, praised the appointment and the move as a sign of defiance to both Israel and the United States of America. Even with the heavy bombardments that Israel has launched in Gaza that have killed so many civilians, Hamas has remained unbowed and actually has gained more ground, so to speak.
While the conflict between Gaza and Israel continues, it shows that Sinwar, as the leader of Hamas, will continue to dominate the Sudani enclave and aggressively act against the Israelis.
