TEHRAN - The election of Yahya Sinwar as the new leader of Hamas’ political bureau has shaken Israel and its Western and regional allies to the core and demonstrated a strong sense of unity among Palestinians.

The Hamas leadership has unanimously elected him to lead the resistance movement. Sinwar succeeds Ismail Haniyeh who was assassinated by Israel a week ago. 

Israel assassinated Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31. He had traveled to Iran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of President Masoud Pezeshkian. 

“The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas announces the selection of Commander Yahya Sinwar as the head of the political bureau of the movement, succeeding the martyr Commander Ismail Haniyeh, may [God] have mercy on him,” Hamas said in a statement on Tuesday. 

Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan also said on Tuesday that Sinwar would continue the ceasefire negotiations.

“The problem in negotiations is not the change in Hamas,” Hamdan told Al Jazeera. He blamed Israel and its ally the United States for the failure to seal a deal.

The Hamas spokesman said the movement “remains steadfast in the battlefield and in politics.”

He added, “The person leading today is the one who led the fighting for more than 305 days and is still steadfast in the field.”

Sinwar is believed to be the mastermind behind a surprise military operation carried out by Hamas in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

More than 1,100 people were killed during the operation called Al-Aqsa Storm and 250 others were taken captive. 

Following the operation, Israel launched a war on Gaza. It has slaughtered about 39,700 Palestinians in Gaza, including more than 16,000 children since then. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said the onslaught is aimed at releasing the captives and “destroying” Hamas. 

More than 100 captives were released following a truce deal with Hamas in November last year. Dozens of the captives have also been killed during Israeli strikes against the Gaza Strip. 

Nonetheless, Israel’s promise to wipe out Hamas has remained elusive. 

The Netanyahu regime has also failed to capture Sinwar over the past 10 months despite destroying much of Gaza. 

Palestinians welcome Sinwar’s appointment 

Hani al-Qano, a displaced Palestinian in Deir el-Balah, hailed Sinwar’s selection as Hamas’ new political chief, saying he could pose a challenge to Israel. 

"He may have a positive impact on the negotiations and may be a challenge to Israel, given that Sinwar is living inside the Gaza Strip among the people under siege," he said.

Palestinian residents of the West Bank showed more enthusiasm for Sinwar’s appointment. 

"Choosing Sinwar to lead the Hamas movement was an excellent decision because Sinwar lives in the heart of the battle, and therefore he knows exactly what he is negotiating,"

Farah Qassem, a coffee shop owner in Ramallah, told the AFP. 

Emad Abu Fokheidah, a school administrator in the occupied West Bank also doubled down on the importance of resistance in the face of Israel’s acts of aggression. 

"Choosing Sinwar was a wise decision and a message to the (Israeli) occupation that the political solution, which Israel rejected by assassinating Haniyeh, will only come from the barrel of a gun", Abu Fokheidah said. 

Panic spreads in Israel

Hamas’ decision to name Sinwar as its new political leader, however, spread fears among Israelis. 

Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari threatened to assassinate Sinwar.

Since the start of the Gaza war, Israel has shown that it has no scruples about butchering Palestinians under the pretext of targeting Hamas.  

Hagari’s threat could be a new excuse for Israel to perpetrate new massacres in a bid to whitewash the failure of its assassination plots. 

People in Israel have also voiced concern over Sinwar’s appointment. 

“Sinwar is really a person with a lot of experience. He was in an Israeli prison, he knows Hebrew, he knows his enemy, which is actually us,” said Sagie Havshosh, an Israeli student in Jerusalem (al-Quds). 

Endless Hamas

Sinwar, 61, who became the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip in 2017, has  governed the territory over the past years. 

Although President Mahmoud Abbas remains an unpopular leader among Palestinians, Sinwar has been a charismatic leader whose popularity has grown since Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza. 

Haniyeh’s replacement by Sinwar clearly indicates that he will play key role in Hamas’ political vision, as he is currently controlling both the military and political wings of the resistance movement. 

The Netanyahu regime killed Haniyeh to scuttle efforts to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza. From now on, Sinwar is the top negotiator with whom Israel has to hold talks over a possible ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the remaining captives. This would be a recurring nightmare for the Netanyahu regime.  

It is as clear as day that Israel’s assassination campaigns have backfired.  The regime killed Haniyeh but his successor is more determined to put up resistance against Israel’s occupation. 

Presently, Palestinians in Gaza have the upper hand as Hamas has been able to promote unity between the resistance group’s political and military wings. 

Meanwhile, Sinwar’s selection sends an important message to the world. Hamas will remain in Gaza despite Israel’s attempts to eliminate the movement. Sinwar’s new position has also further disgraced the regime by spotlighting its military and intelligence failures.