Hamas’ choice of a hardline political leader did little to comfort Gazans displaced, hungry, and seeking a way out of their misery after nearly 10 months of war on Wednesday.
The Palestinian militant group appointed Yahya Sinwar to lead its political bureau on Tuesday, replacing Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran in an attack Iran blamed on Israel. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility.
The move consolidates power within the organization under Sinwar, who until this week was the head of Hamas in Gaza. Sinwar, a hardened militant with many years spent in an Israeli prison, is viewed as less compromising in dealings with Israel and closer to Iran than his predecessor. He is accused by Israel of being the mastermind of the October 7 attack and believed to be hiding in a tunnel in Gaza.
“I’m surprised about this move,” said Hatem Mohammed, 47, a Gaza-based retired civil servant for the Palestinian Authority that is run by Fatah, a rival party to Hamas. “It’s a hasty, irrational and reactionary move in response to Haniyeh’s assassination. They (Hamas) know internally that he’s not fit for the job. He’s an emotive and hasty person.”
“This appointment sends a message that the war will continue. I don’t know what they were thinking,” said Mohammed, who said he lost five members of his family in the war and suffers from infection brought about by food poisoning.
Israel’s war in Gaza has killed more than 39,000 people in the enclave, according to the Palestinian authorities. Sinwar, meanwhile, is believed by US officials to be deep underground, possibly surrounded by Israeli hostages as human shields.
Sinwar’s appointment has cast uncertainty on the fate ceasefire talks with Israel that would also see Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners released. He is hard to reach, is considered more hardline than Haniyeh, and is seen as being less vulnerable to pressure from Arab nations than Haniyeh, who lived in Qatar.
‘The death is all the same’
“We don’t care who they name (as leader). The names are plenty, but the death is all the same. All they’ve brought us is destruction,” said Ismail Jalal, a father of two in northern Gaza who says he struggles to find food for his sick children. “All we’re asking for is a ceasefire. Someone who will be able to reach a deal and save what is left of our people and the children that are dying daily… someone who can practice self-restraint, with no empty slogans.”
Abu Fadi Rafeeq from Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, and displaced in Khan Younis, said the decision to appoint Sinwar was “reckless.” The new leader is “stubborn” and “will let the entire population die just so he can keep his word.”
“I lost everything. My house, my soul and my family,” he said.
Israel launched the war in retaliation to Hamas-led militants’ October 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and more than 250 abducted, according to Israeli authorities.
Despite some Gazans being disgruntled with Hamas’ choice of political leader, there are indications that support for the organization remains significant in the enclave.
Polling in Gaza faces multiple challenges, including population displacement, people’s reluctance to criticize Hamas publicly and the risks to personal safety in war time. But one survey conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research between May 26 and June 1 in the West Bank and Gaza showed that only 8% of Gazans blame Hamas for their suffering, with two-thirds blaming Israel. Of Gazan respondents, 46% supported Hamas returning to power in the enclave after the war. Satisfaction with Hamas’ performance stood at 64% and Sinwar’s at 50%.
“He’s the best choice to lead the next phase,” said Abu Ali, an injured Gazan who said he was a Hamas fighter. “He’s the only one who has lived this ordeal.”