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‘Megalomaniac’ Sinwar reemerges, demands renewed suicide bombings in Israel – report

After replacing Ismail Haniyeh as head of Hamas’ politburo, Yahya Sinwar has reportedly demanded the terror group resume suicide bombings in Israeli cities, leading some in Hamas to denounce Sinwar as a ‘megalomaniac.’

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News Staff

Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, who was thought to be dead, has reemerged and demanded the terror group resume its use of suicide bombings inside Israeli cities, leading some within Hamas to describe Sinwar as a “megalomaniac,” The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

Sinwar, who has commanded Hamas forces in the Gaza Strip since 2017, also took control over the terrorist organization’s politburo in August, following the assassination of his predecessor, Ismail Haniyeh, in a bombing in Tehran.

According to Wednesday’s report, immediately upon taking control of the politburo, Sinwar pushed for the resumption of large-scale suicide bombing attacks against Israeli cities, a tactic which fell into decline at the end of the Second Intifada in the mid 2000s.

Days later, a Hamas terrorist died when a bomb he was carrying detonated prematurely in Tel Aviv.

Citing a handwritten letter from last month attributed to Sinwar, the Journal wrote that the de facto Gaza ruler has prepared for a lengthy terror campaign to “break Israel’s will,” and ultimately destroy the Jewish state.

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Sinwar’s behavior has led to concerns among other senior Hamas leaders, who reportedly have described him as a “megalomaniac” who is too radical even for some in the fanatical Islamist Hamas.

Arab intelligence officials who claim to be communicate “regularly” with Sinwar told The Wall Street Journal that while prominent figures within Hamas fear Sinwar’s plan may be too “grandiose,” thus far none have openly defied his call for a new campaign of suicide bombings.

According to Washington Institute senior fellow Matthew Levitt, who spoke with the Journal, Sinwar’s ascension will likely mark a further radicalization of Hamas.

“Under Sinwar, Hamas can be expected to be a much clearer-cut, hard-line fundamentalist organization.”