Hamas names Yahya Sinwar as new leader after Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination

Following the death of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week, Hamas formally declared that Yahya Sinwar will take over as the terror group's new politburo chief.

Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, is often seen as the mastermind behind the October 7 attack that ignited the current conflict in Gaza.

Earlier, Saudi media reported thatHamas has named a new chief to lead the militant group until elections can be held next year to replace its assassinated leader Ismail Haniyeh.

Following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in a bombing in Tehran last week, Mohamed Ismail Darwish, the man in charge of Hamas' Shura Council, has been named as the organisation's acting leader, according to the Saudi-based Al Arabiya news.

Till the terror group's elections in 2025, Darwish, also known as Abu Omer Hassan, will be in charge of communicating with the leaders of the organisation in Gaza, the West Bank, the diaspora, and Israeli prisons.

Since the IDF assassinated his senior, Osama Mazini, in October, Darwish has been leading the Shura Council.

Mazini led the 2011 hostage swap, where Hamas released IDF soldier Gilad Shalit in return for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners, among them current Gaza leader and October 7 planner Yahya Sinwar.

The Shura Council is Hamas' second most significant political entity, made up of elected representatives from four regions, including key figures such as Sinwar and diaspora leader Khaled Meshaal.

The council's members are kept confidential, and they choose the 15 members of Hamas' Politburo, the main body that makes governmental decisions and selects the group's leader.

(With inputs from agencies)