Hamas names Oct. 7 architect as new leader

The terrorist group on Tuesday selected Yahya Sinwar as its new political chief after former leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran last week. Sinwar has been the group’s leader in Gaza since 2017, according to the European Council on Foreign Relations. He helped plan the Oct. 7 attack against Israel last year. In the attack, terrorists killed 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages. Sinwar has been designated a global terrorist by the U.S. State Department since 2015.

How will this affect cease-fire negotiations? As political leader, Sinwar will represent Hamas in cease-fire and hostage release talks. That will be complicated as Israel has named him as a key target following the October attack. The Israel Defense Forces last week claimed to have killed Mohammed Deif, another Hamas leader involved in planning the terror attack last year.

American, Egyptian, and Qatari mediators are trying to negotiate a cease-fire and the release of hostages, according to the White House. Sinwar has close ties to Iran and Hezbollah, which could make negotiations even more complicated.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress.