Yahya Sinwar's death has raised many questions about the future of the war in Gaza, but perhaps none is more pressing than who will replace him as leader of Hamas.
The Israeli Defense Forces announced Thursday that the mastermind of the October 7 attack on Israel was killed in a routine operation in the southern Gaza Strip.
Shinwar was seen as a tireless figure in brokering a ceasefire and hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas, and his death has fueled cautious optimism about restarting negotiations.
But whether Hamas and Israel become more willing to agree to a ceasefire may depend largely on who takes Sinwar's side. These are some of the leading candidates to replace him.
Mahmoud Al Zahar
Mahmoud al-Zahar is a founder and senior member of Hamas and is considered “hawkish” and “socially conservative” even by the extremist organization's standards, the newspaper reported. There is. European Council on Foreign Relations.
He was elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) in 2006 and was appointed the group's first foreign minister following Hamas' victory in that year's elections. He reportedly survived assassination attempts by Israel in 1992 and 2003.
According to Reuters, he has not spoken or appeared in public since October 7.
Mr Al Zahar previously worked as a doctor in Gaza and founded a medical charity.
Mohammed Sinwar
One potential successor could be Yahya's younger brother, Mohammed Sinwar. His accession to the throne is likely to signal a continuation of his brother's approach to ceasefire negotiations.
A U.S. official told CNN that if Muhammad is elected,Negotiations completely failed'', a former official described him as being “cut from the same cloth'' as his brother.
Musa Abu Marzouk
According to , Moussa Abu Marzluq helped found the branch of the Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood that later formed Hamas. European Council on Foreign Relations. He remains a member of its Supreme Political Bureau.
In the 1990s, Israel indicted him on charges of organizing and financing terrorist attacks as Hamas's political director. The New York Times reported.
After spending nearly two years in a Manhattan prison in the 1990s, he renounced his permanent U.S. residency and agreed to plead no contest to terrorism charges. The US then deported him to Jordan.
Mohamed Deif
It is unknown whether Mohamed Deif is still alive. The Israeli military said Deif was killed in an airstrike earlier this year, but a senior Hamas official said told the Associated Press I found out in August that he was still alive.
Deif has been a founding member and commander of Hamas' military wing, Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, since 2002, and was believed to be the mastermind of the October 7 attack, along with Sinwar. Reuters reported.
A former U.S. State Department counterterrorism adviser described Deif as a “particularly hardline Hamas official” with close ties to the commander-in-chief. According to a BBC report In 2021.
According to the BBC, Mr. Deif is also credited with helping design the Qassam rocket, one of Hamas's main weapons, and the network of underground tunnels in Gaza.
Khalil Al Haya
Khalil al-Haya is a member of Hamas's Qatar-based political bureau and has been the chief negotiator for ceasefire talks in Doha. He currently lives in Qatar.
A U.S. official told CNN that Alhaya is “probably the person the United States wants” because of his established role in ceasefire negotiations. The paper said he was a key figure in negotiating a cease-fire agreement with Israel during the 2014 Gaza war. European Council on Foreign Relations.
The Associated Press reported in August that al-Haya was seen as a potential successor to former Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed earlier this year. The role was given to Sinwar.
Al-Haya said in April that if an independent Palestinian state was established along the pre-1967 borders, Hamas would lay down its arms, convert into a political party and agree to a five-year cease-fire. Associated Press.
The Hamas leader survived an airstrike on his Gaza Strip home in 2007 that killed his family.
Khaled Mashal
Khaled Mashal was the overall leader of Hamas for more than 10 years, starting in 2006, and was also the former head of the political bureau.
But according to CNN, he would be an unlikely choice given his past support for the rebellion against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which sparked a rift with his sponsor Iran.
Mashal survived an assassination attempt against him in the late 90s.
Covered by Reuters The Hamas leader defected to Qatar, where he was living, earlier this month.
“Palestinian history is made up of cycles,” the 68-year-old said. “We will go through a phase where we will lose our martyrs and lose some of our military capabilities, but then, thanks to God, the Palestinian spirit will rise again like a phoenix.”
