Hamas, the Gaza-based Islamist group, has named Yahya Sinwar as its leader following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran's capital Tehran last week.
Haniyeh was killed along with his bodyguards in an Israeli operation last week in Tehran, leading to soaring regional tensions during the Israel-Hamas war. Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the swearing-in of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
"The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas announces the appointment of leader Yahya Sinwar as the head of the political bureau of the movement," said an official statement from the group.
Born on October 29, 1962, Yahya Sinwar is one of the names on Israel's 'most-wanted' list. As per the Israeli security agencies, he is the key plotter of the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas on Southern Israel killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages to Gaza.
He also features on the US's 'blacklist' of international terrorists. He is also the founder of the internal security unit of Hamas, named Majd.
Yahya Sinwar, deemed to be one of the most 'extremist figures', spent a long time in Israeli jails. He was set free by Israel in 2011, along with 1,027 Palestinians, in exchange fo a soldier of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) held captive for more than five years by Hamas.
Before being appointed as the new leader of Hamas, Sinwar was leading the group in Gaza. Moreover, he has not had any public appearances after the October 7 attacks.
The Israel-Hamas war has been ongoing since October 7, after Hamas launched an attack on Israel, following which Israel kicked off a military operation against Hamas.
The Israel Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, has responded to the appointment of Yahya Sinwar as the Hamas Chief.
Director of the Digital Diplomacy Bureau, Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a post on 'X', "Hamas announces it has named Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the Oct. 7 massacre, as the new leader of its “political bureau”. This is another proof that there is no difference between the so called 'political branch' and the 'terror branch' of Hamas."
He also asserted that the hunt for Sinwar would not stop, until Israel catches him 'dead or alive'.
The hunt for Sinwar will not stop until we catch him, dead or alive", he added.
