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Hamas has chosen Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the lethal October 7 assault on Israel, to be its new political chief in a transfer that consolidates his grip over the Palestinian militant motion.
Sinwar, who’s Israel’s most needed man, succeeds Ismail Haniyeh who was assassinated in Tehran final week in an assault that Hamas and Iran have blamed on Israel.
The selection of Sinwar, a ruthless determine who’s Hamas’s chief in Gaza, is prone to be seen by Israel as a provocative transfer, and threatens to additional complicate stalled US-led efforts to dealer a deal to safe the discharge of hostages and finish the conflict within the besieged strip.
Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas political official, mentioned Sinwar was chosen “unanimously”, including the militant’s group’s staff concerned within the negotiations below Haniyeh would proceed “below the supervision of Sinwar”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has referred to as Sinwar a “useless man strolling” for his position orchestrating the October 7 assault that killed greater than 1,200 individuals, in accordance with Israel, and triggered the 10-month conflict that has killed practically 40,000 individuals and wounded a whole bunch of 1000’s in Gaza, in accordance with Palestinian well being officers. About 250 individuals have been additionally seized as hostages.
“Yahya Sinwar is a terrorist, who’s chargeable for probably the most brutal terrorist assault in historical past,” mentioned Israel’s navy spokesperson Daniel Hagari on Tuesday. “There is just one place for Yahya Sinwar, and it’s beside Mohammed Deif [a Hamas leader Israel said it has killed] and the remainder of the October seventh terrorists. That’s the solely place we’re getting ready and intending for him.”
Diplomats within the area had anticipated Haniyeh to get replaced by one other member of the political management in Qatar, the place he had been residing in exile. His killing was thought-about a setback for the diplomatic efforts to finish the battle, as he was the primary interlocutor coping with Qatari and Egyptian mediators.
Sinwar’s appointment as political chief might danger hardening each Netanyahu’s and Hamas’s stance within the negotiations.
A diplomat briefed on the talks mentioned: “Finally you at all times needed to persuade Sinwar to purchase into the deal. However you’ve misplaced a voice in Haniyeh, who might try this. Others can assist however in fact don’t have the identical weight as Haniyeh.”
The US and its allies view the talks as important to ending the conflict and defusing hovering regional tensions.
Shortly earlier than Hamas introduced Sinwar would take over as political chief, US President Joe Biden spoke with the leaders of Egypt and Qatar as Washington continued to press for a hostage and ceasefire deal.
On separate calls with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Qatar’s emir, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Biden addressed “their efforts to de-escalate regional tensions”, and the three leaders “agreed on the urgency of bringing the method to closure as quickly as doable”, the White Home mentioned.
Born in a slum in Khan Younis, a metropolis in southern Gaza, Sinwar rose to prominence within the Eighties as an adviser to Hamas’s wheelchair-bound founder, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.
Sinwar helped construct Hamas’s navy wing, the Qassam Brigades, and was later tasked with main its feared inside safety equipment, which hunted down suspected Palestinian collaborators, incomes him the nickname “the butcher of Khan Younis”.
He spent greater than 22 years in an Israeli jail for his position in eliminating collaborators, and was launched as a part of a 2011 prisoner trade during which greater than 1,000 Palestinians have been launched for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was held by Hamas in Gaza.
Those that have frolicked with Sinwar have described him as a charismatic man of few phrases, a fast mood and a commanding presence.
Within the days following the October 7 assaults, he was seen within the tunnel community below Gaza, in accordance with a few of the freed hostages. Israeli intelligence believes Sinwar has prevented seize or assassination in south Gaza by remaining inside Hamas’s huge underground tunnel community.
Earlier this 12 months, the Israeli navy launched a video it claimed was of Sinwar, accompanied by his household, transferring by one such tunnel beneath Khan Younis.
His killing has been one of many key goals of the Israeli marketing campaign to “destroy” Hamas in Gaza.
Further reporting by Neri Zilber in Tel Aviv
