Militant hardliner in charge of Hamas
GAZA, PALESTINIAN TERRITORY • Hamas has named a shadowy militant commander as its new leader in the Gaza Strip, placing one of the Islamic group’s most hardline figures in charge of its core power base.
The appointment of Yehiya Sinwar, who was freed by Israel in a 2011 prisoner swap after two decades behind bars, solidifies the takeover of Gaza operations by the armed wing of the group from civilian leaders. The military wing, which controls thousands of fighters and a vast arsenal of rockets, has battled Israel in three wars since Hamas seized Gaza a decade ago.
The militant wing tends to take more hardline positions toward Israel, while the politicians, who are tasked with improving the difficult living conditions in Gaza, tend to be more pragmatic.
Hamas is sworn to Israel’s destruction and has killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings, shootings and other attacks. It is considered a terrorist group by Canada, Israel, the United States and the European Union.
In an interview Monday on Israel Radio, a former senior official in the Israeli intelligence agency Shin Bet called Sinwar one of the most senior Hamas operatives released in the Shalit prisoner swap.
“He had the status of prisoner number one. He came by this honestly,” said Yaron Blum, who now works as an analyst. “Hamas is undergoing changes, as can be seen by his very election because he is very extreme.”
Blum described Sinwar as charismatic, not corrupt, and said he is modest, a true believer and a man of action. He speaks fluent Hebrew.
“He will do all he can to carry out terror attacks,” Blum said. “He is someone with whom it will be very difficult to reach any sort of understandings.”
Sinwar replaces Ismail Haniyeh, who served as the prime minister of Hamas’ government following the 2007 takeover of Gaza and remains a top figure in the movement. Haniyeh is now expected to take over as Hamas’ supreme leader, replacing Khaled Mashaal, who lives in exile.
Khalil al-Hayya, another political hardliner, was elected as Sinwar’s deputy.
Hamas started its elections late last year, and the entire process is expected to be completed within the next two months with the naming of a new political bureau, consisting of representatives from Gaza, the West Bank, exiled Palestinian communities across the Middle East and prisoners held by Israel.
Sinwar, in his mid-50s, comes from the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis and was a founder of Hamas’ military wing in the 1980s. Sinwar was sentenced to four life terms by Israel in 1988 for a series of offences, including his role as mastermind of the abduction and killing of two Israeli soldiers. During his final years in prison, he was the leader of the hundreds of Hamas prisoners held by Israel.
In 2011, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to release Sinwar, along with about 1,000 other prisoners, in exchange for Gilad Schalit, an Israeli soldier captured by Hamas five years earlier.
Netanyahu was harshly criticized for releasing dozens of prisoners held for involvement in deadly attacks.
Sinwar, who rejects any reconciliation with Israel, quickly restored his power in the movement since his return to Gaza. He is widely believed to be behind last year’s killing of another top Hamas commander in an internal power struggle.
Sinwar has rarely appeared in public since a 2014 war with Israel. His brother is a senior commander in the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas.
“It was understandable that Sinwar was elected; he was one of the Hamas founders,” said Ibrahim Madhoun, a columnist at the Hamas-affiliated newspaper al-Resalah. “He is one of the Hamas leaders who has been pushing for keeping and reforming relations with Iran. He is one of the main supporters of Hamas and its military wing.”
Sinwar has close ties to Qatar and Turkey, two of the few countries that have good relations with Hamas. Madhoun said he also has good ties with Iran, a longtime backer of Hamas.
Kobi Michael, a former head of the Palestinian Desk at Israel’s Ministry for Strategic Affairs, said Sinwar represents “one of the most radical and extreme lines of Hamas” and is focused on building the group’s military capabilities.
“The idea that he was elected is a very dangerous and concerning indication of the destabilization of the region,” Michael said.