Hamas 'to keep new leader's identity secret to avoid another assassination' following Yahya Sinwar's de@th

Hamas will keep its new leader's identity a secret in order to avoid another assassination following the death of October 7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar.

An official of the terror group disclosed to BBC that a new leader will be elected in March 2025 but until then it will be run by a five-member committee.

The committee, which will dictate in place of a sole leader, will be made up of Khalil al-Hayya, Khaled Meshaal, Zaher Jabarin, Muhammad Darwish, head of the Shura Council, and a fifth individual whose identity remains undisclosed.

The unnamed official told the broadcaster that Hamas had been left alarmed by the way Sinwar, 61, was killed last week as they had assumed he was in a more secure location at the time of his assassination.

He also added that the movement has the ability and personnel to ensure their safety.  

The official revealed that the Iranian foreign minister had met Khalil al-Hayya on Friday in Ankara and offered his condolences for the martyrdom of Sinwar.

Sinwar was eliminated on Wednesday after being hunted by intelligence services and the Israeli Defence Forces for over a year. Israeli officials have said the Hamas head - who has long been dubbed the Butcher of Khan Younis - was killed after he emerged from the underground tunnel network where he had been hiding.

A unit from the IDF's 828th Bislamach Brigade was patrolling Tal al-Sultan, an area of Rafah, on Wednesday morning, when it came across a group of three Hamas fighters in the street and engaged them in a firefight.

The terrorists were 'on the run' moving from house to house, the IDF said.

One of them, since identified as Sinwar, 'ran alone into one of the buildings'. He went up to the second floor, and troops responded by firing a tank shell in his direction.

The unit made up of trainee infantry commanders and reservists, then began to sweep the area, according to Israeli media.

Two grenades were thrown at them, one of which exploded while the other failed to go off, Ynet reported.

The troops decided it was too dangerous to proceed and pulled back, sending in a mini drone to trace the fleeing fighter instead.

Dramatic footage released by the IDF shows the bloodied Sinwar, his face concealed by a scarf, throwing a stick in a final attempt to defend himself against the drone just seconds before he was assassinated.