Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar has ordered the militant organisation's commanders in the West Bank to renew suicide attacks in Israel, according to a report. It added that Sinwar issued the orders just after he assumed charge as the head of the organisation after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran.
However, not many within the organisation support his decision but have not been speaking up on the matter since Sinwar took power, reported The Wall Street Journal.
Such suicide attacks were carried out by Palestinians during the Second Intifada in the 1990s and early 2000s.
The report also comes as Israel witnessed a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv last month. The bomb explosion which killed the attacker and injured a civilian was orchestrated by Hamas. The militant group in a statement said it had been a "martyrdom operation" carried out in cooperation with Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Hamas had then warned that suicide attacks would "return to the forefront" if Israel continued the "massacres" of Palestinians.
The Journal report also confirmed previous reports that Sinwar has renewed contact with mediators, including Qatari officials, for cease-fire and hostage deal talks, the Journal quotes Arab officials involved in the negotiations.
Sinwar reportedly sent a letter in which he said Hamas was ready for a prolonged war of attrition to "break Israel’s will" and pave the way for the nation’s demise.
His extremist views and role in orchestrating the October 7 attacks even surprised other Hamas members overseas. This prompted the Hamas officials in Qatar to privately call Sinwar a “megalomaniac,” the report said. It added that Sinwar had a grandiose view of his role in the current war.
The report added that Sinwar had trust issues with slain leader Haniyeh that he refused to travel out of Gaza last year for reconciliation talks with rival Palestinian factions. He feared that Haniyeh would unseat him during this time.
Even after Haniyeh's death, the political officials of Hamas wanted former leader Khaled Mashaal as his successor. But, the military wing of Hamas, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, wanted Sinwar. They informed the political officials that Sinwar be the new chief.
Sinwar is the founder of al-Qassam brigades and Majd, which committed numerous terror attacks against Israelis.