Israelis rail against new Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, with some hoping he will meet the same fate as his predecessor who was killed last week.
Near Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Square, whose circular fountain is ringed with tributes to Israel’s Gaza hostages and war dead, Sinwar’s appointment is met with disquiet.
“The choice speaks for itself,” says Hanan, manager of a logistics company, who did not want to give his family name.
“It means that they chose Sinwar and did not see fit to look for someone less militant, someone with a less murderous approach. “I really hope that his future will be just like the one before him, and quickly,” he says.
Sagie Havshosh, another student, points out that Hebrew-speaking Sinwar “knows his enemy” from his time spent in Israeli prisons.
“It is not surprising that they chose a person like Sinwar to lead a destructive and satanic terrorist organization as we know Hamas,” says the 26-year-old.
“Sinwar is really a person with a lot of experience. He was in an Israeli prison, he knows Hebrew, he knows his enemy, which is actually us.
“And we all know that his goal is [for Israelis] not to be here.”
In Jerusalem, consultant Laurent Cudkowicz says that Sinwar may now become more vulnerable to Israeli targeting.
“Hamas was right to name Sinwar as its leader,” the 58-year-old tells AFP. “He is the one who embodies their cruelty and who was able to marry their actions with his way of thinking.
“And perhaps it will force him to reveal himself and will allow Israel to eliminate him more easily.”
Hezbollah commander behind missile fire at northern Israel killed in drone strike
A Hezbollah commander responsible for anti-tank guided missile fire on northern Israel was killed in a drone strike earlier today, the military says.
According to the IDF, Hassan Fares Jeshi was killed in an airstrike in southern Lebanon’s Jouaiyya.
Separately, fighter jets struck buildings belonging to Hezbollah in Aitaroun, the IDF adds.
Defense minister: Lebanon will pay heavy prices in war, they can’t even imagine
Speaking to troops during a drill simulating a war in Lebanon, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warns that Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah may cause the Lebanese state to “pay heavy prices.”
“As things stand, Nasrallah may drag Lebanon into paying extremely heavy prices. They can’t even imagine what might happen,” he says to troops of the 646th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade.
“This may also deteriorate into a war. It’s not theoretical, it’s real,” he adds.
Gazans question logic behind appointment of Sinwar to lead Hamas
War-weary Gazans voice concern after Hamas appointed Yahya Sinwar as its new leader, fearing his violent past might hamper efforts for the ceasefire they yearn for.
“We don’t know how Hamas is thinking or what led them to choose Yahya Sinwar as their chief, especially when his whereabouts are unknown,” 29-year-old Mohammad al-Sharif tells AFP in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah.
“He is a fighter. How will negotiations take place?” asks the displaced man originally from Gaza City, adding: “We want nothing but the end of the war.”
Yesterday Hamas announced it had chosen Sinwar, 61, the man who masterminded the October 7 massacre that sparked the war in Gaza, to replace Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran on July 31.
Sinwar has not been seen since the attack on Israel, with many reports claiming he is operating from one of several underground tunnels in Gaza.
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