Yahya Sinwar will replace Ismail Haniyeh in Hamas’ operations, following his assassination in Tehran, the terror group announced in a statement on Tuesday night.
Sinwar has remained an elusive figure since the onset of the October 7 massacre, of which he was the primary mastermind and the ensuing Israel-Hamas war. He is reported to be hiding in tunnels in the Gaza Strip. In February, the IDF released footage of Sinwar walking through a tunnel in Khan Yunis.Â
Previous reports emerged of the chaos in Hamas due to questions over who would succeed Haniyeh, including speculations that Khaled Mashal could be his replacement, Ynet reported.Â
Conflicting reports about Haniyeh’s successorÂ
Earlier on Tuesday, a senior Hamas official denied reports that a replacement for the former Hams leader was chosen, KAN reported.Â
An Arab report from earlier on Tuesday stated that Mohammed Ismail Darwish was chosen to replace former Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh as the head of the terror group’s political bureau.Â
Following the announcement, KAN quoted IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari, who reportedly said, “There is one place we are assigning him [Yahya Sinwar] – next to Mohammed Deif.”Â
