Who could replace Yahya Sinwar as Hamas chief? His Oct. 7 co-conspirator brother may be next in line
The death of Hamas’ “Face of Evil” who masterminded the Oct.7 massacre has left behind a power vacuum — and whoever steps in to fill the void will heavily influence the course of the ongoing war.Yahya Sinwar, 61, was killed by chance Wednesday during a routine raid by Israeli Defense Force troops patrolling Rafah.
The IDF fired a tank round into a building after encountering Hamas militants, and Sinwar’s body was later discovered in the wreckage.“Hamas is an organization that has been plunged into chaos,” Jonathan Schanzer, senior vice president for research of Foundation for Defense of Democracies and Hamas expert, told The Post, who pointed out that viable candidates to take the terror group’s reins are dwindling.Sinwar — who led Hamas in Gaza since 2017, but took over as the greater terror group’s acting chief in July after former leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran — was instrumental in shutting down peace talks with Israel after his takeover, arguing Hamas was on the verge of eliminating the Jewish state.With nearly 100 hostages from October 7 still held by Hamas, whoever takes Sinwar’s place as top terrorist will likely greatly influence how the conflict unfolds — and whether peace can be reached, or if the carnage will continue into the coming year.Here’s a look at some of the top candidates:The brother of the late Hamas leader, Mohammed Sinwar is one of the terror group’s most senior commanders of its military branch and could be a “dark horse” candidate to take over the group, Schanzer said.At 49, Sinwar has flown under the radar most of career with Hamas and made few public appearances or comments to media, according to Reuters.
He remains one of Israel’s top targets and has survived numerous assassination attempts over the years.Sinwar lacks the charismatic leadership and vision his brother had, Schanzer said, but his name could command respect from the Hamas rank and file — as bloodlines can remain resp...