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BEIRUT (AP) — Hamas connected Tuesday named Yahya Sinwar, its apical charismatic successful Gaza who masterminded nan Oct. 7 attacks successful Israel, arsenic its caller leader successful a melodramatic motion of nan powerfulness of nan Palestinian militant group’s hardline helping aft his predecessor was killed successful a presumed Israeli onslaught successful Iran.
The action of Sinwar, a secretive figure adjacent to Iran who worked for years to build up Hamas’ subject strength, was a defiant awesome that nan group is prepared to support fighting aft 10 months of demolition from Israel’s run successful Gaza and aft nan assassination of Sinwar’s predecessor, Ismail Haniyeh.
It is besides apt to provoke Israel, which has put him astatine nan apical of its termination database aft nan Oct. 7 attack, successful which militants killed 1,200 group successful confederate Israel and took astir 250 arsenic hostages.
The announcement comes astatine volatile moment. Fears are precocious of an escalation into a wider location war, pinch Iran vowing revenge against Israel complete Haniyeh’s sidesplitting and Lebanon’s Hezbollah threatening to retaliate complete Israel’s sidesplitting of 1 of its apical commanders successful an airstrike successful Beirut past week. American, Egyptian and Qatari mediators are trying to salvage negotiations complete a cease-fire and hostage merchandise woody successful Gaza, shaken by Haniyeh’ killing.
Hamas said successful a connection it named Sinwar arsenic nan caller caput of its governmental bureau to switch Haniyeh, who was killed successful a blast that Iran and Hamas blamed connected Israel. Israel has not confirmed aliases denied responsibility. Also past week, Israel said it had confirmed nan decease of nan caput of Hamas’ subject wing, Mohammed Deif, successful a July airstrike successful Gaza. Hamas has not confirmed his death.
In guidance to nan appointment, Israeli subject spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya televsion, “There is only 1 spot for Yahya Sinwar, and it is beside Mohammed Deif and nan remainder of nan October 7th terrorists. That is nan only spot we’re preparing and intending for him.”
Israel’s killings of aggregate elder officials successful Hamas complete caller months near Sinwar arsenic nan astir salient fig successful nan group. His action signals that nan activity connected nan crushed successful Gaza — peculiarly nan equipped helping known arsenic nan Qassam Brigades — has taken complete from nan activity successful exile, which has traditionally maintained nan position of nan wide activity to navigate relations pinch overseas friends and diplomacy.
Haniyeh, who had lived successful self-imposed exile successful Qatar since 2019, had played a nonstop domiciled successful negotiations complete a cease-fire successful Gaza done U.S., Qatari and Egyptian negotiators — though he and different Hamas officials ever ran proposals and positions by Sinwar.
Speaking to Al-Jazeera tv aft nan announcement, Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan said Sinwar would proceed nan cease-fire negotiations.
“The problem successful negotiations is not nan alteration successful Hamas,” he said, blaming Israel and its state nan United States for nan nonaccomplishment to seal a deal.
But he said said Sinwar’s action was a motion nan group’s will had not been broken. Hamas “remains patient successful nan battlefield and successful politics,” he said. “The personification starring coming is nan 1 who led nan fighting for much than 305 days and is still patient successful nan field.”
Hamas’ friends Iran and Hezbollah issued statements praising Sinwar’s appointment.
Hamas’ typical successful Iran, Khaled Kaddoumi, called Sinwar a “consensus choice” celebrated among each factions and progressive successful nan group’s decision-making throughout, including successful negotiations. In a sound connection to nan AP, he said Sinwar knows nan governmental aspirations of nan Palestinians for a authorities and nan return of refugees but he is besides a “fierce combatant connected nan battlefield.”
Mediators person been struggling to push done a U.S.-backed outline for a deal, but talks person deed obstacles, peculiarly complete its centerpiece position — a merchandise of each of Hamas’ remaining hostages successful return for an extremity to nan warfare and a afloat withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
Hamas has demanded guarantees from mediators that an first cease-fire will proceed until position for that speech are worked out. Israeli leaders person threatened to resume fighting to destruct Hamas aft an first partial hostage release.
In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sinwar “has been and remains nan superior decider erstwhile it comes to concluding nan cease-fire.”
He said Sinwar must “decide whether to move guardant pinch a cease-fire that manifestly will thief truthful galore Palestinians successful hopeless need, women, children, men who are caught successful a crossfire … It really is connected him.”
As Hamas’ leader wrong Gaza since 2017, Sinwar seldom appeared successful nationalist but kept an robust grip connected Hamas’ norm complete nan territory. Close to Deif and Qassam Brigades, he worked to build up nan group’s subject capabilities.
In 1 of his fewer appearances, Sinwar ended a nationalist reside successful Gaza by inviting Israel to assassinate him, proclaiming, “I will locomotion backmost location aft this meeting.” He past did so, shaking hands and taking selfies pinch group successful nan streets.
He has been successful heavy hiding since nan Oct. 7 attacks, which triggered Israel’s run of bombardment and offensives aimed astatine destroying Hamas. The decease toll among Palestinians is now nearing 40,000, astir of nan organization of 2.3 cardinal has been driven from their homes, and ample swaths of Gaza’s towns and cities person been destroyed. In May, prosecutors astatine nan International Criminal Court sought an apprehension warrant against Sinwar connected charges of warfare crimes complete nan Oct. 7 attack, arsenic good arsenic against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s defense curate for warfare crimes.
Hugh Lovatt, an master connected nan Israeli-Palestinian conflict astatine nan European Council connected Foreign Relations. said nan elimination of different apical figures cleared nan measurement for Sinwar. “Two weeks ago, fewer would person expected Sinwar to beryllium nan group’s adjacent leader contempt nan beardown power he exerts from Gaza,” he said.
The sidesplitting of Haniyeh, a comparative moderate, “not only opened nan way for Sinwar to declare afloat power of Hamas, but besides appears to person tipped nan group into a much hardline direction,” he said.
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Associated Press writers Kareem Chehayeb and Sarah El Deeb successful Beirut contributed to this report.
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