No chief to succeed Sinwar; Hamas to be led by committee
AFP
Hamas is leaning in on appointing a Doha-based ruling committee rather than a single successor to its chief Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by Israeli troops last week, according to a report in AFP that quotes two Hamas sources.
"The Hamas leadership's approach is not to appoint a successor to the late chief, the martyr Yahya Sinwar, until their next elections" scheduled for March "if conditions permit", a well-informed source from the group told AFP. A five-member committee that was formed in August following the assassination of political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran "will take over the leadership of the group", the source added. All current members of the committee are based in Qatar.
The committee is reportedly tasked with "governing the movement during the war and exceptional circumstances, as well as its future plans".
Sinwar was named the Gaza chief of the militant group in 2017, before rising to become the overall leader of Hamas after Haniyeh was assassinated in July.
"The Hamas leadership's approach is not to appoint a successor to the late chief, the martyr Yahya Sinwar, until their next elections" scheduled for March "if conditions permit", a well-informed source from the group told AFP. A five-member committee that was formed in August following the assassination of political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran "will take over the leadership of the group", the source added. All current members of the committee are based in Qatar.
The committee is reportedly tasked with "governing the movement during the war and exceptional circumstances, as well as its future plans".
Sinwar was named the Gaza chief of the militant group in 2017, before rising to become the overall leader of Hamas after Haniyeh was assassinated in July.