Hamas appoints mastermind of 7 October attacks as new leader

Hamas has appointed the mastermind of the 7 October attacks on Israel, Yahya Sinwar, as its new leader. This follows the death of Ismail Haniyeh in an alleged Israeli strike in Iran last week. Sinwar’s appointment reportedly signals Hamas’s continued hardline stance amid ongoing conflict and escalations.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said late Tuesday that Sinwar’s promotion was “yet another compelling reason to swiftly eliminate him and wipe this vile organisation off the face of the earth”.

Sinwar — Hamas’s leader in Gaza since 2017 — has not been seen since the October 7 attack, which was the deadliest in Israel’s history.

A senior Hamas official told AFP that the selection of Sinwar sent a message that the organisation “continues its path of resistance”. Analysts believe Sinwar has been both more reluctant to agree to a Gaza ceasefire and closer to Tehran than Haniyeh, who lived in Qatar.