Hamas Names Yahya Sinwar as New Leader: A Controversial Choice Amidst Conflict
In a unanimous decision, Hamas chose its new head following two days of lengthy negotiations in Doha. They selected Yahya Sinwar as their new overall chief, replacing Ismail Haniyeh who was assassinated last week in Tehran.
The Notorious Life Of Yahya Sinwar
Sinwar was born back in 1962 where he began his life at the Khan Younis refugee camp. Then in the 1980s, he ended up founding the Hamas security service called Majd. That security service is said to have targeted alleged Palestinian collaborators with Israel.
He lived quite a notorious life as he spent 23 years of his life in an Israeli jail. After his third arrest, he ended up getting sentenced to four life terms in prison.
His Role As A Leader
All the way back in 2017, Sinwar was appointed head of the group’s political bureau in the Gaza Strip; hence he was Hamas’ leader inside the Gaza Strip. Now he will become the leader of its political wing. He is viewed as one of Hamas’ most extreme figures as it is believed that he was the one who orchestrated and planned the October 7 attacks.
Sinwar is even on the US’ blacklist of “international terrorists” and since he was given the role of being the new head of Hamas, many opposed his new appointment.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz objected to his appointment by saying “The appointment of arch-terrorist Yahya Sinwar as the new leader of Hamas, replacing Ismail Haniyeh, is yet another compelling reason to swiftly eliminate him and wipe this vile organization off the face of the Earth.”
The Fate Of Palestine
It is unclear how Sinwar will fare with his new role and what plans he has for Hamas. Some even believe that because of his appointment, doubts will be raised about the potential for any ceasefire deal to be struck with the ongoing genocide.
