Hamas announced on Tuesday that it has chosen Yahya Sinwar as its new leader, according to the Associated Press (AP).
Sinwar has been widely credited as the architect of the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas about Israel igniting the war in Gaza.
The decision comes after the assassination of Hamas’ former top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran last week. Hamas has blamed Israel for Haniyeh’s death, but Israel has not publicly claimed responsibility for the killing.
Sinwar previously served as Hamas’s leader in the Gaza Strip since 2017. Sinwar also chose to remain in Gaza after Haniyeh lived in exile in Qatar for several years, according to the AP.
But the AP noted that Sinwar has been in hiding since the Oct. 7 attack. During the attack on Israel, 1,200 people were killed and 250 others were taken hostage. Israel then responded by launching an offensive in Gaza that has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians in the months since, the AP reports, citing the Gaza Health Ministry.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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