Hamas, which has been fighting a war with Israel in Gaza for the last one year, has suffered a major setback with the death of its chief Yahya Sinwar. Now Hamas is preparing to change the strategy regarding its leadership. According to the latest report, instead of appointing a single successor, Hamas is now considering handing over this responsibility to a committee in Qatar. According to Hamas sources, the group has decided not to announce the name of the new leader until the next internal elections in March. It is noteworthy that last week the Israeli army had killed Yahya Sinwar. According to Israel, Yahya Sinwar was the mastermind of the rocket attack on Israel on October 7.
On this matter, a Hamas source said, “Hamas's position regarding the leadership is that the successor to martyr Yahya Sinwar should not be appointed until the next elections.” During this time, the five-member committee formed in August after the assassination of political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Iran will take over the responsibility of leadership. Sinwar was appointed Hamas' Gaza chief in 2017. He assumed a leading role in the group after Haniyeh's assassination in July. Another source revealed that there were internal discussions about the appointment of a political head whose identity will remain secret but the leadership has ultimately decided to go ahead with collective governance through the committee.
The committee, comprising leading representatives of Gaza, the West Bank and the Palestinian diaspora, includes Khalil al-Hayya (Gaza), Zaher Jabarin (West Bank) and Khaled Meshaal (representing Palestinians abroad). The two other key members are Mohammad Darwish who heads Hamas's Shura Advisory Council and the secretary of the political bureau. All the members of the committee are currently present in Qatar. The committee is tasked with controlling Hamas during the war, making strategic decisions and shaping the group's future plans. “The committee will control the movement during war and extraordinary circumstances and will also work on planning its future,” The Times of India quoted a source as saying.
