Yahya Sinwar has been appointed the new political leader of Hamas following the death of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
Hamas made the announcement this Tuesday, emphasizing Sinwar’s new role as head of the political bureau. This leadership change occurs amidst escalating regional tensions.
Shortly after the announcement, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, launched a series of rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip towards Israel. These developments followed accusations from the Israeli military and officials labeling Sinwar as a key strategist behind the October 7 attack on Israel, placing him among Israel’s most wanted.
Sinwar’s ascension to leadership comes shortly after the assassination of Haniyeh, with both Iran and Hamas attributing the assassination to Israel, which has not commented on these allegations.
The October 7 attack, attributed to Hamas, resulted in the deaths of 1,198 individuals, predominantly civilians, based on official Israeli statistics. Additionally, during this attack, Hamas took 251 people hostage, with 111 still held, including 39 reported dead by the military.
In response, Israel’s military actions in Gaza have resulted in at least 39,653 deaths, as reported by the health ministry of the Hamas-controlled region, which does not specify the numbers of civilians and militants among the casualties.
