Report: Hamas may hide the identity of Sinwar’s replacement

Three days after the assassination of the head of Hamas’ political bureau, Yahya Sinwar, sources in the terrorist organization told the Saudi newspaper al-Sharq al-Awast today (Saturday) that the organization’s leadership is making progress towards choosing the identity of his successor. However, according to the report, the organization will likely keep the name of Sinwar’s replacement a secret this time, due to the possibility that Israel will eliminate him.According to the sources, there is almost unanimity in the leadership of Hamas in Gaza and abroad on this matter. “This step is intended to give the new head of the bureau a place to work, save him from Israeli persecution and make it difficult for Israel, which is working to eliminate most of the organization’s leaders,” it was claimed.

According to the sources in the organization, this step “will also make it possible to work more smoothly and maintain the general order, cohesion and hierarchy within the organization”. According to the report, Hamas wants to confuse Israel regarding decision-making, if the negotiations for a ceasefire and a hostage deal are resumed.

Five potential heirs, all outside Gaza

According to the Saudi newspaper, there are five candidates to succeed Sinwar.

• Muhammad Darwish – The head of the Shura Council of Hamas is considered a shadowy man who began to appear publicly in official meetings that were recorded only recently. He lived abroad and was close to the Muslim Brotherhood.
• Khalil al-Hiya – Sinavar’s deputy who is considered a hawkish figure. He leads the negotiation team in the various meetings and yesterday he is the one who approved the elimination of Sinwar in his speech.
• Khaled Mashal – The 68-year-old Mashal currently serves as the leader of Hamas abroad, and also served as the head of the political bureau of Hamas for more than 20 years, between the years 1996-2017. Israel tried to assassinate Mashal in the past – but without success.
• Musa Abu Marzouk – A senior Hamas official abroad who served as the head of Hamas’ political bureau in the years 1992-1995 while he was in Amman. In 1999, Abu Marzouk was deported a second time from Jordan, upon his return from Iran. He later lived in Damascus and then lived for a period in Cairo. According to estimates, his fortune is estimated at -2-3 billion dollars.
• Mohammad Nazal – A member of the political bureau of Hamas who is outside the country.

The reasons why Sinwar remains above ground

Well-informed sources in Hamas told the Saudi newspaper yesterday: “The elimination of Sinwar was expected and therefore the organization regulated the procedure for holding the hostages according to a security protocol that is updated from time to time – instructions are issued on a regular basis to those responsible for holding them.”

Sources in Hamas stated that the organization “still has the ability to harden its positions regarding the prisoner exchange deal, something that Israel does not believe in. Israel believes that the leadership of the organization will be more fragmented after the elimination of Sinwar, and will not have the ability to know the fate of the abductees.”

According to them, at the beginning of the war, a year ago, Sinwar passed through several tunnels in different areas in the center and south of the Gaza Strip. But after the assassinations of senior political and military officials in Hamas, inside the tunnels, as well as the attacks and destruction of those tunnels, he became more dependent on staying above ground.

The sources claimed that Sinwar played a central intelligence role in his hiding, but not because he feared he would be eliminated, but to mislead the Israeli forces who were trying to achieve an image of victory through his elimination. This suggests that he relied on only two or three people to secure his movements, meet his needs, and communicate with the organization’s leaders and others.

Hamas deputy leader Khalil al-Hiya emphasized yesterday that Hamas’s position on the issue of the hostage deal will not change after the assassination: “The death of Sinwar and the other commanders will only add strength and determination to continue following their path. Hamas will continue to follow the path outlined by the founders and commanders who were eliminated, until the Palestinian people’s aspirations for liberation are realized Full of Palestine and the establishment of a state with Jerusalem as its capital.”

“The abductees will not return – unless the aggression against Gaza stops, there is a complete withdrawal from it and our prisoners are released from the prisons. We continue to act according to the spirit of the al-Aqsa flood,” al-Haya promised.