Hamas, the Palestinian liberation armed group, is reportedly keeping the name of its new leader a secret. The group said the new leader would not be named for security reasons after Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed in an Israeli strike.
Saudi Arabia-owned newspaper Asharq al-Aswat also reported this on Saturday. Several Hamas sources told the newspaper that there has been a discussion within the party. Hamas leaders are moving toward an extraordinary decision to keep the identity and name of the party’s new political bureau chief under wraps. This decision is most likely due to the security challenges Hamas is going through.
Hamas leaders in Gaza and abroad have reached a near-consensus on keeping the new leader’s name secret, the report said, citing Hamas sources.
The group is trying to make it easier for Israel to track down and kill Hamas leaders in the future.
With Sinwar’s death, the list of those who can lead Hamas now includes: Mohammed Sinwar, Khalil al-Haya, Khaled Meshal, Mahmoud al-Zahar, Mohammed Shabana, Marwan Isa and Rawhi Mushtaha.
