Hamas on Tuesday named Yahya Sinwar, its top official in Gaza who masterminded the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, as its new leader in a dramatic sign of the power of the Palestinian militant group’s hardline wing after his predecessor was killed in a presumed Israeli 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 is prepared to keep fighting after 10 months of destruction from Israel’s campaign in Gaza and after the assassination of Sinwar’s predecessor, Ismail Haniyeh.
After Fatah refused to peacefully leave power, having lost the election. Revolution isn’t always pretty. But you can avoid it by leaving when you lose the election.
The whole mess started exactly because Haniyeh was a hardliner that wasn’t willing to accept any previous agreements the PLO had already made.
Hamas took over Gaza shortly after agreeing to a unity government with Fatah.
The point is, there wasn’t much of a difference between Haniyeh and Sinwar.
Their entire campaign was that the PLO was an Israeli puppet regime. Expecting them to honor PLO deals is like expecting Trump to deal with Mexico in good faith.
Actions have consequences. You don’t get to cry when your attempt at a seizing power is stopped by a popular rebellion.