A new Sinwar at the head of Hamas? After Yahya comes Mohammed

With the death of Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Sinwar, his younger brother, emerges as the organisation’s new leader, rebuilding Hamas and expanding recruits in a Gaza devastated by Israeli operations

After the death of Yahya Sinwar last October at the hands of Israeli forces, the Hamas leadership took a turn with the rise of his younger brother, Mohammed Sinwar. Considered to be the mastermind behind the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, Mohammed now has the task of rebuilding the organisation, despite the devastating losses inflicted by months of Israeli military operations that have reduced Gaza to rubble and claimed thousands of lives.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Mohammed Sinwar, like his brother, is determined to negotiate a cease-fire that will ensure the survival of Hamas, even in a devastated Gaza filled with unexploded ordnance that can be converted into improvised weapons by the organisation’s fighters. Despite the efforts of the Israeli army (IDF) to dismantle Hamas, the pace at which the organisation rebuilds itself continues to outpace Israel’s efforts to stop it. This emerges from statements by Amir Avivi, a retired Israeli general.

Before the conflict, Hamas numbered up to 30,000 fighters, of whom Israel claims to have killed about 17,000. However, new enlistments have intensified, with young Palestinians joining the organisation partly due to the promise of food, aid and medical care for their families.

Despite the decisions of the Hamas leadership in Qatar to adopt a collective leadership, militants in the Gaza Strip, dissatisfied with this choice, rallied around Mohammed Sinwar, who now leads autonomously. Under the nickname ‘Shadow’, Sinwar is blamed by Israel for the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit in 2006 and, according to Israeli sources, is becoming one of the most powerful and elusive figures in Gaza.

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