Hamas with a fresh leader
Hamas reported that the fresh head of the organization was Jahja Sinwar, the erstwhile head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Sinwar was born in 1962 in a exile camp in Chan Junis (Gaza zone). His household came from al Majdal (now Ashkelon), but had to leave his home during the First Arab-Israeli War (1947-1949).
Sinwar has been associated with Hamas since the beginning of his existence. In 1988, he was arrested for the assassination of 4 Palestinians (Hamas suspected their cooperation with Israel) and the abduction and assassination of 2 Israeli soldiers. The court sentenced Sinwar to 4 life sentences.
Sinwar rapidly found himself in prison. He enjoyed large respect among the inmates, learned Hebrew. In prison, an Israeli dentist, Dr. Juwal Bitton, suspected a brain tumor in him – suspicions proved justified. Sinwar underwent surgery to remove the tumor in 1 of the Israeli hospitals and became friends with the dentist, Dr. Bitton, we will return to this story.
In 2011, after 22 years in prison, Sinwar went free. How? In 2006, Palestinians kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, whom they held in captivity in the Gaza Strip for 5 years. yet – as part of the prisoner exchange – Hamas freed Shalit, and the Israelis released many Palestinian prisoners, including Sinwara.
Since his release to freedom, Sinwar has played an crucial function in the organization, primarily liable for the expansion of the interior safety apparatus and armed forces.
In addition, Sinwar made contact with the Iranians and became a advocate for cooperation with Tehran. However, Hamas' command went in a very different direction. Following the outbreak of the arabian Spring, Hamas' chief of the political wing, Chalid Mashal (whose seat was then Syrian Damascus) sided with the Syrian rebels, against president Assad (and so against the Iranian ally). This led to a divided relation on the Hamas-Iran line and the expulsion of Hamas from Syria.
Eventually, Chalid Masal ceased to be Hamas' boss in 2017. This gave a fresh beginning in Hamas' relation with Iran as well as in the anticipation of promotion to many members. The fresh head of Hamas' political wing was Ismail Hanija, while Sinwar became head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip and held this function until now.
After the assassination of Hanija, respective candidates appeared for the fresh head of Hamas' political wing. However, the possible successors were mainly identified as those outside the Gaza Strip, indicating the request for free movement in the region. In this respect, the election of Sinwar, a "imprisoned" in Gaza, is simply a surprise.
In practice, choosing Sinwar as the fresh Hamas chief may mean:
1. Obstruction of negotiations on a truce in Gaza. Sinwar is simply a hard negotiator. In addition, he was 1 of the authors of the October 7 attack plan on Israel. All of this distances the position of a truce (which was inactive far away) even more.
2. A closer connection to Iran. Sinwar advocates close cooperation with Tehran. Especially now – erstwhile Hamas fights for his endurance – Sinwar can place a large deal of emphasis on good relations with Tehran.
I wonder how this will affect Iran-Hamas' long-term relationship?
As I mentioned, Hamas is simply a hard partner (video support for anti-Assad movements), but Sinwar's leadership and existential threat to Hamas from Israel can de facto lead to Hamas' dependence on Iran and thus make Hamas more closely integrated into the Proiran opposition Axis. Very bad information for Israel, but besides for Turkey, who in fresh years tried to snatch Hamas from Tehran's embrace.
3. The question, however, is how long the changes in Hamas will last. Sinwar is hiding in the Gaza Strip, a war region where he could die all day. In mid-July, Israelis killed Hamas' weapon wing chief, Mohammad Deif. Sinwar can share his destiny before he can have any influence on the organization.
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Finally, back to dental history, Dr. Bitton, who helped detect a brain tumor in Sinwar. Dr. Bitton's nephew was kidnapped in the October Hamas attack on Israel. As Sinwar was very grateful for saving his life and – while in prison – became friends with Bitton, he decided to usage it. In November, he appeared on Israeli television, talking about his relation with Sinwar and his kidnapped nephew. Interestingly, after an interview, Israeli intelligence picked up Sinwar's communications, which began asking questions about Dr. Bitton's nephew. Sinwar was then to be assured that the boy was alive and well – later it turned out to be not actual (the boy was shot during the October attack, taken to the Gaza Strip, but died there a fewer days later).
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