Israel succeeded Wednesday in its year-long mission to kill Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the man accused of being one of the masterminds of the October 7, 2023 attacks. <\/p>\n
But while Sinwar\u2019s death is a huge blow for Hamas, it does not signal the immediate demise of the group. Hamas has vowed to continue fighting, saying that the killing of leaders \u2013 including Sinwar \u2013 does not mean the end of their movement. <\/p>\n
A Friday statement from Hamas\u2019 political office confirming Sinwar\u2019s death said: \u201cHamas each time became stronger and more popular, and these leaders became an icon for future generations to continue the journey towards a free Palestine.\u201d <\/p>\n
As rumors swirl about Sinwar\u2019s successor, here\u2019s what we know about what\u2019s next for Hamas: <\/p>\n
It is unclear whether Sinwar himself left any instructions on who should replace him, but his younger brother Mohammed Sinwar is seen by many as his heir apparent. Like his brother, Mohammed is a hardline militant who recently became Hamas\u2019 military commander. <\/p>\n
Mousa Abu Marzouk, the deputy chief of Hamas\u2019 political bureau who helped found Hamas, could also be a contender to become Sinwar\u2019s replacement. He spent five years living in the United States before the FBI designated him as a terrorist. He was eventually deported. <\/p>\n
Khaled Meshaal, the group\u2019s former political chief, is also seen as a powerful contender for the role. Meshaal is well known internationally, having met with top officials including former United States President Jimmy Carter, Jordan\u2019s King Abdullah II and Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the past. <\/p>\n
However, he might face difficulty over his past support for a Sunni uprising against Syrian President Bashar al Assad as Hamas, itself a Shia group, is supported by Shia-majority Iran. <\/p>\n
Sinwar\u2019s deputy Khalil Al Hayya is seen as another powerful contender for the role. He acted as the chief negotiator for Hamas during recent ceasefire talks in Cairo and is based in Qatar. <\/p>\n
Both Meshaal and Al Hayya have been among Hamas\u2019 top-ranking officials for many years. And both have been the targets of Israeli assassination attempts in the past. In 1997, Israeli Mossad agents posing as Canadian tourists sprayed a poisonous substance into Meshaal\u2019s ear. The incident was widely publicized as the Israeli intelligence service agents were captured in Jordan. <\/p>\n
Israel has killed Hamas\u2019 previous leaders: In 2004 they killed Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. A few weeks later, his successor Abdel Aziz Rantisi was killed. <\/p>\n
While Hamas has always managed to recover from multiple assassinations on its leadership, it is hard to say how they will now regroup, given how Hamas\u2019 organizational structure changed under Sinwar\u2019s rule. <\/p>\n
Sinwar had consolidated power during the war, becoming Hamas\u2019 sole decision maker in Gaza following the killing of the other two top Hamas officials there. <\/p>\n
Mohammed al-Masri \u2013 popularly known as Mohammed Deif \u2013 was the commander of Hamas\u2019 military arm, the Al-Qassam Brigades, and was killed in an Israeli airstrike in July. Deif\u2019s deputy Marwan Issa was killed in March, according to the Israeli military. Hamas never acknowledged their deaths. <\/p>\n
Sinwar became Hamas\u2019 most senior leader after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital Tehran in July. Iran blamed the killing on Israel. The Israel Defense Forces did not comment on the accusation. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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