Australia / Israel Review

Hamas has indicated its path forward in appointing Yahya Sinwar to replace slain politburo head Ismail Haniyeh. It is a one-man show with one vision. Sinwar has told the other senior members of his terror group: “I will navigate, I will lead and anyone who disapproves will end up dead,” as did Mahmoud Ishtiwi, who was executed in 2016 after he was accused of being gay.

Ishtiwi was a senior commander of the Hamas military wing and a battalion head in Zeitun. He was probably put to death under orders from Sinwar, who suspected that he had collaborated with Israel during the 2014 war and provided information that led to a failed assassination attempt on Mohammed Deif. 

He was not the first Palestinian to be executed by Sinwar. During his incarceration in Israeli prison, the Hamas leader was dubbed Abu Tna’ash, the father of 12, after he was said to have murdered a dozen people suspected of collaborating with Israel. 

The Hamas leader proved how dangerous he could be, and how extreme in his views, before the October 7 massacre. He led Hamas into this brutal war knowing full well that he was about to sacrifice thousands of lives on the altar of his vision – to be the modern-day Palestinian Saladin.

Sinwar understood that Gaza’s 2.2 million Palestinians would pay the terrible price for his delusions, but that did not stop him from carrying out his plan. 

Gaza is in ruins, the Hamas military wing is in tatters, and now the terror group’s political wing has fallen into line with the man who has brought the greatest disaster since 1948 onto the population of Gaza. 

By choosing Sinwar as the new politburo chief, any appearance of a division of authority or separation between the leadership abroad and the one in Gaza under Sinwar has become a thing of the past. 

Now no one will dare oppose the all-powerful Sinwar, who will do all it takes to solidify his rule and will eliminate any threat to it, without hesitation. 

Avi Issacharoff is an Israeli journalist known for his focus on Palestinian affairs, and one of the creators of the hit TV series Fauda. A fluent Arabic speaker, he has been a correspondent for Haaretz, the Times of Israel, Walla! and Yediot Ahronoth. © Yedioth Ahronoth (Ynetnews.com), reprinted by permission, all rights reserved.