Mumbai, August 7: As announced by the Hamas Political Bureau on August 6, Yahya Ibrahim Hassan Sinwar is the new political leader of Hamas (Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya), the Palestinian Sunni Islamist political and military organisation. Yahya Sinwar succeeded Ismail Haniyeh after his assassination on July, 31 in Tehran, Iran. "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," the group said.

Speaking about the significance of Sinwar's choice, the Hamas said: "Selecting the brother Yahya Sinwar from the heart of the besieged Gaza Strip – who is present the frontlines with resistance fighters and between the children of his people, under the rubble, blockade, killings and starvation – reasserts that the goals the enemy is seeking by killing leaders have failed." Before this, Sinwar was the Hamas leader in the Gaza strip since February, 2017. Hamas Names Yahya Sinwar, Mastermind of October 7 Attacks, As New Political Bureau Chief After Assassination of Ismail Haniyeh.

Who Is Yahya Sinwar?

Born in the Khan Yunis refugee camp in Egyptian-ruled Gaza, Sinwar, aged 61, was allegedly the mastermind behind the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which triggered the Israeli attack on the Gaza strip, leaving nearly 40,000 people dead and displacing almost 2.3 million population in the scuffle. Previously, in September 2015, Sinwar was designated a terrorist by the United States government. He was also arrested and tried by Israel for abducting and murder of two Israeli soldiers and four alleged Palestinian collaborators in 1989. He was also sentenced to four life sentences and served 22 years until his release in the 2011 Prisoner Exchange of abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Israel-Hamas War: IDF Says Airstrikes in Northern West Bank Kill 9 Palestinian Militants.

Sinwar, as per analysts, was largely unseen since the October 7 attack, and  being from Gaza himself, his appointment as leader of Hamas indicates the central place that Gaza occupies in the group’s political vision. As per May 2024, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, announced his intention to apply for an arrest warrant for Sinwar for crimes against humanity as part of the ICC investigation in Palestine.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 07, 2024 10:59 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).