'He Embodies Their Cruelty': Israelis Decry New Hamas Leader

Israelis railed against new Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on Wednesday, 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 was met with disquiet.

The Palestinian movement's Gaza chief, an alleged mastermind of the October 7 attack, was named as the movement's head late on Tuesday after Ismail Haniyeh's killing in Tehran.

"The choice speaks for itself," said 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 (Sinwar's) future will be just like the one before him, and quickly," he said.

The shadowy Sinwar, who has not been seen since October 7, has emerged as the Palestinian group's leader 10 months into the Israel-Hamas war.

His rise comes at a time of sky-high tensions, after Haniyeh's death and Israel's killing of a top Hezbollah commander in Lebanon raised fears of a coordinated response by Iran and its proxies.

The Hamas attack on October 7 resulted in the deaths of 1,198 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Palestinian militants seized 251 hostages, 111 of whom are still held in Gaza, including 39 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 39,677 people, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, which does not give details of civilian and militant deaths.

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

"Hamas was right to name Sinwar as its leader," the 58-year-old told 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."

Back in Tel Aviv, Israel's commercial hub, tourists gathered at Dizengoff Square, studying the photos, teddy bears and other gifts left for the dead and captured.

"I think it's a very strong statement from Hamas because Israel has been trying to kill Sinwar for a very long time and they know he's a very strong target for us," Juliette, a student, said nearby.

"So, I think they really want to say that they're not scared and they're still giving him a lot of responsibility for the war."

Sagie Havshosh, another student, pointed 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 organisation as we know Hamas," said 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."