Hamas announced on Tuesday that Yahya Sinwar, one of the masterminds behind the deadly Oct. 7 attacks, was selected as the next head of the group’s political office, consolidating his power over the militant group as it continues to fight Israel.
Long viewed by Israeli officials as a sophisticated strategist with a keen understanding of Israeli society, Mr. Sinwar has been Hamas’s leader in Gaza since 2017. But he will now also replace Ismail Haniyeh, the group’s top political leader, who was a key liaison in the indirect cease-fire talks with Israel.
Mr. Haniyeh was killed in an explosion last week in Tehran. Hamas and Iran both blamed Israel for his assassination — which took place during the inauguration of the new Iranian president — although Israel has not publicly taken responsibility.
Mr. Sinwar, a hard-line figure who has served as the leader of Hamas in Gaza since 2017, is widely believed to be hiding out in tunnels underneath the enclave to avoid Israeli attack.
Born in Khan Younis, Mr. Sinwar joined Hamas in the 1980s. He was later imprisoned on charges of murdering Palestinians accused of apostasy or of collaborating with Israel and spent over two decades in prison in Israel. He was ultimately freed in 2011, along with more than 1,000 other Palestinian prisoners, in exchange for a single Israeli soldier held by Hamas.
The leaders of Hamas’s political office have usually been based outside Gaza or the West Bank as the role has often demanded travel. In Mr. Sinwar’s case, it appeared unlikely he would leave Gaza, even if he avoids being killed by Israel by the end of the war.
Fuad Khuffash, a Palestinian political analyst close to Hamas, said Mr. Sinwar’s appointment “is a symbolic decision” that shows that many Hamas officials agree with his approach “It is more of an honorific than a practical matter,” he said.
Even before Oct. 7, Mr. Sinwar was in some ways more influential than Mr. Haniyeh within the organization in his role as Hamas’s governor of Gaza. While Mr. Haniyeh served as a diplomatic face for the group abroad, Mr. Sinwar controlled events on the ground in Gaza and enjoyed close ties with Hamas’s military wing, analysts said.
Mr. Sinwar has rarely surfaced since the Oct. 7 attacks, which prompted Israel’s devastating 10-month military campaign in Gaza. But as Hamas’s commander on the ground, he has played a decisive role in deciding whether the group will move toward a cease-fire with Israel.
Without Mr. Sinwar’s approval, no truce could go forward, people with knowledge of the talks have said. Israeli officials and regional mediators have frequently spent days waiting for Hamas’s leaders in Qatar to receive word from Mr. Sinwar.
