TEL AVIV — Yahya Sinwar, the alleged mastermind of the Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel, is the undisputed leader of Hamas after the militant group’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated and Israel confirmed it had killed Mohammed Deif, the military chief. Until now, Sinwar has remained largely out of the spotlight, a shadowy figure believed to be hiding in Hamas’ labyrinth of tunnels underneath the Gaza Strip. But his appointment as the group’s political leader has left many wondering what it could mean for the ongoing cease-fire and hostage release talks. For Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official, Sinwar’s promotion suggests it’s business as usual for the group. “Whoever decided to assassinate Ismail Haniyeh does not care about the hostages,” said Thabeet Elhmour, a Palestinian political analyst and writer based in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis.

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Persons: Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, Israel, Mohammed Deif, Sinwar, Basem Naim, ”, Haniyeh, Masoud Pezeshkian, Haniyeh’s, “, Thabeet Elhmour, Khan Younis, Tariq Kenney, Kenney, Fathi Nimer, “ Sinwar, Gershon Baskin, Rather, ” Baskin, Joe Biden, Abdel Fattah el, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Baskin, Ahmed Shoraab, Abou Nasar El, ” Jon Polin, Rachel Goldberg, Hersh Goldberg, Polin, “ We’re, Goldberg Organizations: Hamas, NBC News, West Bank, Al, NBC, Shura Council, Sissi Locations: TEL AVIV, Israel, Gaza, Tehran, Qatar, Palestinian, Gaza’s, Khan, “, United States, Egypt, Doha, Cairo