Who Is Yahya Sinwar? The New Hamas Leadership Following Ismail Haniyeh's Tenure

According to SAEDNEWS, reported by Press TV, the Gaza-based resistance movement, Hamas, has announced the election of Yahya Ibrahim Hassan Sinwar as its new political bureau leader, succeeding Haniyeh. In a statement, Hamas expressed its confidence in Sinwar as its leader during this sensitive phase of complex local, regional, and international circumstances.

Who is Yahya Ibrahim Hassan Sinwar?

Born on October 19, 1962, in a refugee camp west of the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, Sinwar's family comes from al-Majdal Asqalan, a Palestinian village in the area of today's Ashkelon, from where they were expelled in 1948 during the Zionist ethnic cleansing of the native Palestinian population.

Sinwar's journey began as a student at the Islamic University of Gaza, where he joined the Islamic Student Bloc, a precursor to Hamas, and later became one of its most prominent leaders. He played a key role in establishing the first Islamic art group in Palestine and was involved in founding the Security of the Call, the first security apparatus for the movement.

In 1983, Sinwar participated in founding the Jihad and Da'wa Organization (Majd), which later became the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas. He directed and led many popular confrontations with the Israeli regime and was arrested several times, serving 23 consecutive years in Israeli prisons.

Leadership and Achievements

During his incarceration, Sinwar assumed leadership of the High Command of Hamas prisoners in Israeli prisons and led a series of hunger strikes. He also became fluent in Hebrew and authored several books on Hamas's security experience.

After his release from Israeli prisons in 2011, Sinwar was elected as a member of the political bureau of Hamas and took responsibility for the security file. He was re-elected as head of the political bureau in 2017 and again in 2021.

Personal Life

Sinwar has three children, two sons (Ibrahim and Abdullah) and a daughter (Reda). He has been married since 2012 and has had a significant impact on the terms and conditions of the "Wafa al-Ahrar" prisoner exchange deal in 2011.

Assassination Attempts

Sinwar has survived multiple assassination attempts, including four bombings at his home. Despite these attempts, he remains committed to his struggle against Israeli occupation.

New Leadership for Hamas

Osama Hamdan, one of the leaders of the Hamas resistance movement, emphasized that Sinwar's election by unanimous votes shows that Hamas understands the nature of the current stage of war with the Israeli occupation. The message of Hamas is that it has chosen a leader who has been a trustee of struggle and fighting on the battlefield in Gaza for more than 300 days.