By Emmanuel Nduka
After the assassination of two of its leaders in quick succession by Israel, Hamas has announced it will not disclose the identity of its new leader.
According to a BBC report, the group stated the name will remain confidential for “security reasons” and the new leader is expected to be revealed in March.
In the interim, a five-member committee will oversee Hamas’s operations. This committee includes Khalil al-Hayya, the deputy to the late leader Yahya Sinwar, along with Khaled Meshaal, Zaher Jabarin, Muhammad Darwish (head of the Shura Council), and one unnamed member.
The recent killings occurred amidst ongoing tensions between Israel and Palestine, with former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran on July 31 and Sinwar killed in Gaza last Wednesday. Sinwar had been a key figure behind the October 2023 attack that resulted in over 1,000 deaths, just weeks after he took leadership.
Heritage Times HT had reported that President Joe Biden described Sinwar’s killing as a moment of justice that could pave the way for a ceasefire.
However, al-Hayya, now acting in Sinwar’s stead from Qatar, reaffirmed that Hamas would not release Israeli hostages until Israel withdraws from Gaza and frees Palestinian detainees.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also stated that Sinwar’s death would not bring an end to the conflict in Gaza, asserting, “While this is not the end of the war, it’s the beginning of the end”.
