Hamas Unanimously Decides on Yahya Sinwar as Successor to Late Haniyeh
‘Hardliner’ Sinwar: “Message of Resistance to Israel”,
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Yahya Sinwar, newly appointed political bureau chief of Hamas ⓒReuters=Yonhap News,
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, ‘Hamas elected Yahya Sinwar (62), the leader of the Gaza Strip responsible for leading the surprise attack on Israel on October 7 last year, as the successor to the late top political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, who passed away six days ago.’,
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, ‘Hamas announced in a statement released through Telegram on the 6th (local time) that “Leader Yahya Sinwar has been elected as the political bureau chief, succeeding the martyr Ismail Haniyeh.” Haniyeh passed away just last month on the 31st.’,
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, ‘Osama Hamdan, a Hamas spokesman, stated in an interview on Al Jazeera that the political bureau leadership supported Sinwar’s election unanimously. The term of office for the Hamas political bureau chief is four years, with the possibility of reappointment.’,
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, ‘Amid observations that retaliatory attacks from Iran and Hezbollah against Israel are imminent, Hamas, a constituent of the ‘Axis of Resistance’ linked to pro-Iranian armed groups, swiftly organized and took action. A Hamas official stated regarding Sinwar’s election as the top leader, “Hamas has sent a strong message to the occupiers (Israel) that they will continue on the path of resistance,” as reported by AFP.’,
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, ‘Sinwar, who has led Hamas’ Gaza organization since 2017 following Haniyeh, orchestrated the large-scale “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation last October, in which Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, resulting in the killing of approximately 1,200 people and the abduction of over 250. The Israeli military put a bounty of $400,000 (approx. 550 million won) on Sinwar, whose whereabouts have been mysterious since the start of the Gaza conflict.’,
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, ‘AP reported, “Unlike Haniyeh, who lived in exile in Qatar for years, Sinwar stayed in Gaza,” and added, “Sinwar solidified Hamas’ rule in the Gaza Strip without appearing in public, demonstrating the power of the hardline faction within Hamas.” Regarding Sinwar’s appointment as the new political bureau chief, AP pointed out, “This is a strong message of Hamas’ hardline faction, and there is a high possibility that Israel will be provoked by his selection at the top of the enemy list.”‘,
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, ‘Israeli Channel 12 commented, “Sinwar has now officially become the most powerful figure in Hamas,” noting that the center of Hamas’ power has shifted back to Gaza from Qatar, where Haniyeh was in exile.’,
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, ‘Israel expressed disapproval of Sinwar’s election as the new leader of Hamas. Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid criticized on Twitter, “Hamas appointing terrorist Sinwar as the successor to Haniyeh is yet another reason to eliminate him as soon as possible and eradicate this evil organization from the face of the Earth.”‘,
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, ‘Sinwar, born in a refugee camp in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, in 1962, has been involved with Hamas since its founding in 1987. In 1989, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for the kidnapping and killing of Israeli soldiers. After serving 22 years in an Israeli prison and being released in a prisoner exchange in 2011, he became a Hamas military leader. Sinwar has been the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip since 2017.’,
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