Hamas armed wing pledges allegiance to new leader Sinwar

Hamas' armed al-Qassam Brigades pledged allegiance to Hamas' new leader Yahya Sinwar, the group's spokesman, Abu Ubaida, said.

"We announce our full readiness to implement his decisions," Abu Ubaida added in a statement on Telegram, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

The selection of Sinwar follows Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination in Tehran on July 31.

Sinwar, 61, is seen by Israel as the mastermind behind the October 7 attack by Hamas inside Israeli territory, in which more than 1,100 people were killed and more than 200 others taken captive.

Sinwar has skyrocketed to an influential position in Hamas, leading it in Gaza. The choice of Hamas to name him leader of the movement now puts Gaza front and centre of, not just the events on the ground, but certainly of the dynamics in the Hamas movement.