War-weary Gazans voice concern over ‘stubborn’ new Hamas leader Sinwar
‘He is a fighter. How will ceasefire negotiations take place?’
DEIR AL BALAH, Palestinian Territories: War-weary Gazans voiced concern on Wednesday after Hamas appointed Yahya Sinwar as its new supremo, fearing his past as the movement’s military commander might hamper efforts for the ceasefire they yearn for.
“We don’t know how Hamas is thinking or what led them to choose Yahya Sinwar as their chief, especially when his whereabouts are unknown”, 29-year-old Mohammad Al Sharif told AFP in the central Gaza city of Deir Al Balah.
“He is a fighter. How will negotiations take place?”, asked the displaced man originally from Gaza City, adding: “We want nothing but the end of the war”.
Late on Tuesday, Hamas announced it had chosen Sinwar, 61, the man Israel says masterminded the October 7 attack that sparked the Gaza war, to replace Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran on July 31.
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Sinwar has not been seen since the attack on Israel, with many reports claiming he is operating from one of several underground tunnels in Gaza.
Ibrahim Abu Daqa, 35, echoed Sharif’s disappointment over the choice of Sinwar to succeed Haniyeh, who was regarded by some as a pragmatist.
“In my opinion, appointing Yahya Sinwar as the head of Hamas was inappropriate at this critical stage”, he told AFP.
Also displaced in Deir Al Balah, and originally from the southern Gaza city of Rafah, Abu Daqa said that the decision “may lead to negative results on multiple levels, including halting negotiations or failing to make progress in them, especially since Israel is seeking him for assassination”.
“The occupation killed the negotiator Ismail Haniyeh. What will happen with the fighter Yahya Sinwar?” he asked.
A senior Hamas official told AFP that the selection of Sinwar sent a message that the militant group “continues its path of resistance”.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has already called for Sinwar’s killing.
Bashir Qarqaz voiced fears that Israel’s determination to kill Sinwar would make his appointment an obstacle to peace.
“The war will not end in the near future because Israel rejects Sinwar,” he said, adding that “they want a political figure to concede to them, and Sinwar is a stubborn man who may not concede”.
Hani Al Qano was more hopeful. He underlined that unlike Haniyeh, who lived in self-exile in Qatar, Sinwar had lived in Gaza throughout the conflict and was more familiar with the daily reality of the war.
“He may have a positive impact on the negotiations and may be a challenge to Israel, given that Sinwar is living inside the Gaza Strip among the people under siege”, he said.
“He is different from Haniyeh, who lived abroad.”
Enthusiasm in West Bank
Various Palestinian political factions in the occupied West Bank congratulated Hamas on its choice of Sinwar.
These included the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which “wished Sinwar success” in a statement published by Hamas.
Palestinian residents of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Hamas has been more popular than the ruling Fatah movement since the October 7 attack, showed more enthusiasm for the new Hamas supremo.
“Choosing Sinwar to lead the Hamas movement was an excellent decision because Sinwar lives in the heart of the battle, and therefore he knows exactly what he is negotiating,” said Farah Qassem, a coffee shop owner in Ramallah, the seat of the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority.
“His decisions will come from the suffering experienced by the people in Gaza”, the 54-year-old added.
Emad Abu Fokheidah, a school administrator in a nearby village, echoed the sentiment.
“Choosing Sinwar was a wise decision and a message to the (Israeli) occupation that the political solution, which Israel rejected by assassinating Haniyeh, will only come from the barrel of a gun”, Abu Fokheidah, 57, said.
“All wars end with negotiations, and today the negotiator will be the one leading the battle.”