Hamas says it has chosen Yahya Sinwar, its top official in Gaza, as the new leader of its political bureau.

The Palestinian group in a statement announced the selection of Commander Yahya Sinwar as the head of the political bureau of the movement, succeeding the martyr Commander Ismail Haniyeh.

Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians, thousands of them women and children, displaced almost its entire 2.3 million population, and caused an unprecedented humanitarian crisis with widespread starvation and health emergencies.

The Israeli assault has also come with reports of systematic rights abuses, such as the torture of Palestinians in captivity.

Haniyeh’s assassination, almost certainly carried out by Israel, sent shockwaves through the region and was seen by many as an effort by the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to scuttle efforts to negotiate a ceasefire, in which Haniyeh was a key figure.