As the Gaza war entered its eleventh month on Wednesday, tensions in the region threatened to explode, and Israel pledged to remove new Hamas head Yahya Sinwar, the claimed mastermind of the October 7 attack.
With his predecessor Ismail Haniyeh killed in Tehran last week, Israel was prepared for possible Iranian reprisals when Sinwar was named to head the Palestinian militant group.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel was “determined” to protect itself on Wednesday while speaking at a military base.
“We are prepared both defensively and offensively,” he told new recruits.
Army chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi vowed to “find him (Sinwar), attack him” and force Hamas to find another leader.
Sinwar — Hamas’s leader in Gaza since 2017 — has not been seen since the October 7 attack, the deadliest in Israel’s history.
According to a senior Hamas official who spoke with AFP, Sinwar’s appointment signifies that the group “continues its path of resistance”.
In addition to congratulating Sinwar, Hezbollah, the Lebanese ally of Hamas, stated that the appointment proves “the enemy… has failed to achieve its objectives” by eliminating Hamas officers and leaders.
Compared to Haniyeh, who resided in Qatar, analysts think Sinwar has been closer to Tehran and less willing to accept a truce in Gaza.
“If a ceasefire deal seemed unlikely upon Haniyeh’s death, it is even less likely under Sinwar,” according to Rita Katz, executive director of the SITE Intelligence Group.
“The group will only lean further into its hardline militant strategy of recent years,” she added.
According to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Sinwar “has been and remains the primary decider” and must assist in achieving a truce.
Israel’s and Gaza’s civilian population reacted uneasily to Sinwar’s nomination.Gazan exile Muhammad al-Sharif told AFP, “He is a fighter. How will the talks proceed?”
Manager of a logistics company in Tel Aviv, Hanan, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that Hamas “did not see fit to look for someone less militant, someone with a less murderous approach” in light of Sinwar’s appointment.
