Mohammed Sinwar, the head of the militant wing of the Palestinian radical movement Hamas, the "Izzedin al-Qassam Brigades" group, has become the new head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources.
According to them, Mohammed Sinwar is the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, who died in October 2024. The movement's new leader is making active efforts to rebuild the group, as its fighting capabilities have been seriously damaged by Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip since October 2023.
According to the interlocutors of the publication, after the murder of Yahya Sinwar, the political office of Hamas operating in Qatar did not choose a new leader and decided to switch to collective leadership. In the Gaza Strip, the group's militants refused to obey the office and now "act autonomously" under the leadership of Mohammed Sinwar. He is said to have been close to the head of the movement's armed wing, Mohammed ad Deif, who was killed in an Israeli strike in July 2024. According to the magazine, Mohammed Sinwar joined the ranks of Hamas a long time ago and is now around 50 years old.
His views were greatly influenced by the activities of his elder brother. As the sources of the newspaper reported, Muhammad Sinwar managed to hide from the Israeli special services for a long time, for which he received the nickname Shadow. Israeli authorities believe that Mohammed Sinwar was a participant in the 2023 the organization of the attack of Hamas on the Jewish state on October 7 and the kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011. In exchange for Shalit, 1027 supporters of Hamas were returned to the Gaza Strip Mohammed Sinwar's older brother Yahya was also among them.
