The head of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), Ismail Haniyeh, announced today, Wednesday, the election of Yahya Sinwar as head of the movement in the Gaza Strip for the second consecutive session.

In a press statement published by the official Hamas website, Haniyeh expressed his hope for success for Sinwar in performing the movement and patriotic tasks, in order to achieve the goals and aspirations of the Palestinian people for freedom, return and independence.

He said that the elections reflected the position and position of the movement on the Palestinian political map, as a partner in leading the national project.

These elections witnessed intense competition between Sinwar and Nizar Awadallah, a prominent Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip.

For his part, Awadallah congratulated Sinwar for his victory, and said in a statement he issued after the announcement of the election results, "We stand with Brother Abu Ibrahim, and the leadership of the movement, and we stand next to him in every location and position to achieve the goals of our project and our movement."

Hamas has held its internal elections to choose a new leadership for the movement, in 3 regions, namely the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and abroad. The head of the movement’s political bureau will also be elected at the end of this month.

The movement holds its internal elections every 4 years, under secret conditions, due to security considerations related to Hamas, as the last elections were held in 2017.

CV

  • Sinwar was born in 1962 in the Khan Yunis refugee camp to a refugee family, whose origins trace back to the city of Majdal.

  • He joined from a young age the Muslim Brotherhood, which at the end of 1987 turned its name to the Hamas movement.

  • He studied at the Islamic University of Gaza, and obtained a bachelor's degree in the Arabic language.

  • During his university studies, he headed the Islamic Bloc, the student arm of the Brotherhood.

  • He established the security apparatus of the Brotherhood, known as Al-Majd, in 1985, and the work of the apparatus focused on resisting the Israeli occupation in the Gaza Strip and combating its Palestinian collaborators.

  • The United States included Sinwar, along with two Hamas leaders, Muhammad al-Deif, commander in chief of the al-Qassam Brigades, and Rouhi Mushtaha, a member of its political bureau, on the list of international terrorists in September 2015.

  • The Israeli security services placed Sinwar on the list of people wanted for liquidation in the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli media.