The future for Hamas under Yahya Sinwar

Choosing hardline 'butcher' as political leader signals Gaza as centre of group's power, but imperils ceasefire negotiations

 Yahya Sinwar, head of the Palestinian militant movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip
Sinwar, 61, was the leader of the militant group's movement in the Gaza Strip, and is seen as the mastermind of the October 7 attacks
(Image credit: Yousef Masoud/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

In the aftermath of the 7 October attacks in Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu declared that "every Hamas leader is a dead man".

The prime minister vowed to kill the three top members of the militant group he held responsible for the atrocities, in which 1,200 Israelis died: Qatar-based political leader Ismail Haniyeh; leader of Hamas's military wing Mohammed Deif; and Yahya Sinwar; the leader of Hamas in Gaza. 

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Harriet Marsden is a writer for The Week, mostly covering UK and global news and politics. Before joining the site, she was a freelance journalist for seven years, specialising in social affairs, gender equality and culture. She worked for The Guardian, The Times and The Independent, and regularly contributed articles to The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The New Statesman, Tortoise Media and Metro, as well as appearing on BBC Radio London, Times Radio and “Woman’s Hour”. She has a master’s in international journalism from City University, London, and was awarded the "journalist-at-large" fellowship by the Local Trust charity in 2021.