‘He embodies their cruelty’: Israelis decry new Hamas leader Sinwar

Israelis rail against new Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, with some hoping he will meet the same fate as his predecessor who was killed last week.

Near Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Square, whose circular fountain is ringed with tributes to Israel’s Gaza hostages and war dead, Sinwar’s appointment is met with disquiet.

“The choice speaks for itself,” says Hanan, manager of a logistics company, who did not want to give his family name.

“It means that they chose Sinwar and did not see fit to look for someone less militant, someone with a less murderous approach. “I really hope that his future will be just like the one before him, and quickly,” he says.

Sagie Havshosh, another student, points out that Hebrew-speaking Sinwar “knows his enemy” from his time spent in Israeli prisons.

“It is not surprising that they chose a person like Sinwar to lead a destructive and satanic terrorist organization as we know Hamas,” says the 26-year-old.

“Sinwar is really a person with a lot of experience. He was in an Israeli prison, he knows Hebrew, he knows his enemy, which is actually us.

“And we all know that his goal is [for Israelis] not to be here.”

In Jerusalem, consultant Laurent Cudkowicz says that Sinwar may now become more vulnerable to Israeli targeting.

“Hamas was right to name Sinwar as its leader,” the 58-year-old tells AFP. “He is the one who embodies their cruelty and who was able to marry their actions with his way of thinking.

“And perhaps it will force him to reveal himself and will allow Israel to eliminate him more easily.”