Yahya Sinwar has been re-elected as leader of the Hamas political wing in the Gaza Strip for a second four-year term, according to officials with the group that runs the siege under siege.
His re-election on Wednesday comes before May 22 Palestinian legislative elections, the first Palestinian vote in 15 years.
Ismail Haniya, head of the Hamas political bureau and director-general, congratulated Sinwar in a statement.
“It simply came to our notice then [internal] elections every four years reinforce our deep belief in the principle of rotating power, ”he said. “Today, the Hamas movement marked a milestone in history and is choosing its leaders in Gaza in a way that highlighted strong certainty and legitimacy.”
Palestinian news agency Maan quoted a Hamas source as saying that Sinwar won 167 out of 320 votes in the Gaza Shura Council.
Bassem Naim, a high figure of Hamas, confirmed that Sinwar had been challenged by Nizar Awadallah, one of the founders of Hamas.
For his part, Awadallah emphasized his support for Sinwar, saying in a statement: “We stand by his side in all circumstances to achieve the goals of the project and our movement.”
Sinwar was a member of the group’s armed wing that spent more than 20 years in an Israeli prison after being convicted of kidnapping and killing two Israeli soldiers. He was released in a prison swap in 2011.
“Sinwar’s influence shows that the man holds a firm grip on things within the movement, especially within his vital parts such as the army’s shield,” said Adnan Abu Amer, a Gaza political analyst. .
“The victory will allow Sinwar to pursue its policies, whether within Gaza or with regional nations and the handling of the conflict with Israel. “
Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, a year after defeating Fatah, the party of Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, in an election. Since then, Israel has deployed land, air and navy, with Egyptian support next to it. They have also launched three criminals against the Gaza Strip, and there have been many flames.
Hamas has held on to power despite severe blockages, which have damaged Gaza’s infrastructure and economy. Approximately two million people live in the dense dune, which is now facing a spike in coronavirus infections.
Economic downturn
The political wing has closer ties to Qatar and Turkey and tends to be more pragmatic in its dealings with Israel. The armed shield has closer ties to Iran and favors a more controversial approach to Israel.
After taking office in 2017, Sinwar sparked major protests across the fence separating Gaza from Israel as an alternative to the traditional machine for firing rockets into Israel.
The protests – known as the Great Return of March – were aimed at drawing attention to the poor state of Gaza’s life and easing Israel’s blockade. Since the rallies were launched, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed and more than 30,000 wounded by Israeli forces at the fenced areas around Gaza.
The protests erupted in 2019 under an unofficial peace in which Qatar brought tens of millions of dollars to Hamas for workers ’salaries, aid projects and cash payments to poor families in a slow trade.
Sinwar is not afraid to push for tougher conflict. Last year, he threatened to go to battle if Israel did not allow respirators and other medical aid to the poor land to fight the spread of the virus.
“If we find that corona[virus] patients in Gaza [are] Because we cannot breathe, we will stop six million Zionists from breathing and we will get what we want from you with force, ”he said at the time.
Sinwar has also helped develop close ties with neighboring Egypt. He tightened security along the Gaza border with the reformed North Sinai to help the Egyptian army there, where they were engaged in an armed operation with local ISIL (ISIS) allies.
The measures helped to alleviate the situation in Northern Sinai and, as a result, Egypt opened a corridor for goods such as fuel and tobacco to enter Gaza. It has also opened regularly more frequently crossing the borders of Rafah, Gaza’s main gateway to the outside world.