In an interview with Al Jazeera, Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan confirmed that Sinwar had been unanimously elected as the leader.
From refugee camp to Hamas new leader
Yahya Sinwar was born in 1962 in a refugee camp in the city of Khan Younis, southern Gaza. He is one of the first members of Hamas, an organization established in 1987. Yahya Sinwar rose to the highest position after the previous leader, Ismail Haniyeh, died in an explosion in Iran.
In the late 1980s, he was arrested and admitted to having killed 12 suspected individuals. The incident earned him the nickname "the butcher of Khan Younis". He was sentenced to life imprisonment.
In 2008, he survived, overcoming brain cancer after being treated by Israeli doctors. After more than two decades in prison, Yahya Sinwar was released in 2011 by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as part of a prisoner exchange deal for Israeli soldiers held by Hamas during the border attack.
Returning to Gaza, Sinwar quickly rose to the leadership ranks of Hamas and became notorious for his ruthlessness. He is believed to have been behind the assassination of another top Hamas leader, Mahmoud Ishtewi, in 2016 in an internal power struggle.
Yahya Sinwar became the leader of Hamas in Gaza. He has control over this territory and works with former leader Ismail Haniyeh to link the group with Iran and regional allies, while building the group's military capabilities.
The October attack
Sinwar, along with Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas's armed wing, is believed to have planned the surprise attack on Israel on October 7.
The attack killed approximately 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians. The incident sparked a war that resulted in the deaths of nearly 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza. Hamas stated that the attack was a retaliation against Israel's treatment of Palestinians.
Sinwar has not appeared since the attack on October 7. Ceasefire negotiators said it took them several days to send a message to him. This has made it difficult for him to handle Hamas's daily activities.
In the meantime, the new leader Sinwar is seen as having a harder and more influential tone than Ismail Haniyeh. Analysts say that Haniyeh is Hamas's face in international diplomacy, while Sinwar controls activities on the ground and has a close relationship with Hamas's military wing.
The new leader also has the power to veto any ceasefire agreement that Hamas will reach with Israel, as he controls the hostages. Israel has vowed to eliminate Yahya Sinwar.
