Alwaght- Yahya Sinwar was re-elected leader of Hamas Movement in Gaza in an election held on March 10.
Nizar Awadallah was the main rival to Sinwar in the election. He was elected head of the leader’s office 167 vs. 147 votes. The new election within the Hamas movement have been welcomed and specially supported by other Hamas political leaders, and it is certain that Sinwar will remain in the position until 2025.
Here are some questions: What is the significance of the Hamas election? What are the ramifications of Sinwar re-election in Gaza and Palestinian?
How is Hamas internal election significant?
Hamas election was held as Palestine is scheduled to hold its general election on May 22 after a 15-year hiatus. Holding the internal election, as some Hamas political leaders insisted, demonstrates their serious belief in collective and logical management of the democratic process ruling Hamas policy.
In fact, the selection of Sinwar in the Gaza Strip as the leader of Hamas reflects the movement's position as a partner in leading the Palestinian national project. Also, Hamas' commitment to the pivotal role of the internal elections reflects the movement's serious view to the legislative and presidential elections.
Concerning the effects of election of Sinwar as a second Hamas leader with military and security records, this choice on the one hand strengthens Hamas’s military wing and on the other hand boosts the pro-resistance approach across Gaza. In other words, electing Sinwar for the second time will inevitably bolster an approach to support the resistance against the Israeli occupation. This is important as we know that the Hamas leader in Gaza, regardless of the movement’s general political leader who is now Ismail Haniyah, has considerable executive power to make decisions.
Why Hamas chose Sinwar again
But why did the Hamas council once again choose Sinwar? To get the answer we need to look back at his political and military records.
Yahya Sinnwar has been one of Hamas’s most prominent military figures since its foundation in 1987. He was arrested by the Israeli regime in the same year after the establishment of the security structure of the Hamas movement and was sentenced to life imprisonment. The 58-year-old politician was among those released in 2011 during a prisoner swap known as Wafaa al-Ahrar or Shalit deal. In this agreement, the Israeli military "Gilad Shalit" was exchanged with 1027 Palestinian prisoners. After his release, Sinwar continued his struggle and became a senior member of Hamas and then one of the main enemies of Tel Aviv in the occupied territories.
In the years following his release, he held a number of leadership posts in Hamas and since 2011 was a member of the movement’s political office, responsive for coordination between political and military wings. In addition to military, since 2017 he was elected Hamas leader to add to his political experiences.
The significance of Sinwar election is that as a representative of spectrum inside Hamas that believes in maximum resistance to the Israeli occupation and crimes, he overcame Nizar Awadallah, who has a relatively tolerant stance in the face of the Israeli regime in Gaza. Sinwar is strongly opposed the Israeli-Arab normalization and the Trump-presented “deal of the century” which recognizes the Israeli occupation and dismisses the Palestinian right for return. For him resistance is the path of choice until ultimate goal, which is destruction of the Israeli regime, is achieved.
The support of the Hamas council in Gaza for Sinwar now indicates that a large part of the political and military body of the movement still believes in the genuine Palestinian aspirations and the continuing resistance to the Israeli occupation. This is likely to happen during the Hamas election in the occupied West Bank, and someone close to the resistance and the genuine Palestinian cause is anticipated to win.
