Hamas names Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the October 7 attacks, as its new leader

Hamas has named Yahya Sinwar, the top official in Gaza who masterminded the October 7 attacks in Israel, as the group's new leader after his predecessor was killed in a strike in Iran.

The selection of Sinwar, a secretive figure close to Iran who worked for years to build up Hamas' military strength, was a defiant signal that the group was prepared to keep fighting after 10 months of war with Israel.

His predecessor Ismail Haniyeh was killed in a presumed Israeli strike in Iran while he was visiting for the inauguration of the new president.

It is likely to provoke Israel, which has put him at the top of its kill list after the October 7 attack, in which militants killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and took about 250 as hostages.

The announcement comes as tensions remain sky-high in the Middle East, fuelled in part by Israel's recent assassinations, which included a prominent Hezbollah commander last week in Lebanon.

American, Egyptian and Qatari mediators are trying to salvage negotiations over a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza, shaken by Haniyeh's killing.

Also last week, Israel said it had confirmed the death of the head of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Deif, in a July airstrike in Gaza.

In reaction to the appointment, Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya television: "There is only one place for Yahya Sinwar, and it is beside Mohammed Deif and the rest of the October 7th terrorists.

"That is the only place we’re preparing and intending for him."

Israel's killings of multiple senior officials in Hamas over recent months left Sinwar as the most prominent figure in the group.

His selection signals that the leadership on the ground in Gaza - particularly the armed wing known as the Qassam Brigades - has taken over from the leadership in exile.

The leadership in exile, which was mostly based in Qatar, has traditionally maintained the position of the overall leadership to navigate relations with foreign allies and diplomacy.

Haniyeh had played a direct role in negotiations over a ceasefire in Gaza through US, Qatari and Egyptian negotiators - though he and other Hamas officials always ran proposals and positions by Sinwar.

Speaking to Al-Jazeera television after the announcement, Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan said Sinwar would continue the ceasefire negotiations.

"The problem in negotiations is not the change in Hamas," he said, blaming Israel and its ally the United States for the failure to seal a deal.

But he said Sinwar's selection was a sign the group's will had not been broken. Hamas “remains steadfast in the battlefield and in politics," he said. "The person leading today is the one who led the fighting for more than 305 days and is still steadfast in the field.”

Hamas' allies Iran and Hezbollah issued statements praising Sinwar's appointment.

Mediators have been struggling to push through a US-backed outline for a deal, but talks have hit obstacles, particularly over its centrepiece terms - a release of all of Hamas' remaining hostages in return for an end to the war and a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

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Hamas has demanded guarantees from mediators that an initial ceasefire will continue until terms for that exchange are worked out. Israeli leaders have threatened to resume fighting to eliminate Hamas after an initial partial hostage release.

As Hamas' leader inside Gaza since 2017, Sinwar rarely appeared in public but kept an iron grip on Hamas' rule over the territory. Close to Deif and Qassam Brigades, he worked to build up the group's military capabilities.

In one of his few appearances, Sinwar ended a public speech in Gaza by inviting Israel to assassinate him, proclaiming, “I will walk back home after this meeting.” He then did so, shaking hands and taking selfies with people in the streets.

He has been in deep hiding since the October 7 attacks, which triggered Israel's campaign of bombardment and offensives aimed at destroying Hamas.

The death toll among Palestinians is now nearing 40,000, most of the population of 2.3 million has been driven from their homes, and large swaths of Gaza's towns and cities have been destroyed.

In May, prosecutors at the International Criminal Court sought an arrest warrant against Sinwar on charges of war crimes over the October 7 attack, as well as against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel's defence minister for war crimes.

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