On Tuesday night, Hamas unexpectedly announced that Yahya Sinwar is now the head of the organization’s political bureau, replacing Ismail Haniyeh. This move is surprising because Sinwar was not initially considered a leading candidate. His new role raises questions given that he is currently hiding in the Gaza Strip while being pursued. Sinwar's appointment comes amid ongoing tensions between Hamas's Gaza-based and external leadership, especially regarding negotiations for hostages and the war with Israel. His pragmatic approach could potentially improve prospects for ending the conflict and securing a better position for Hamas in Palestinian politics, possibly even strengthening their challenge to the Palestinian Authority and PLO.

Hamas made a surprising announcement on Tuesday night: Yahya Sinwar is now the head of their political bureau, taking over from Ismail Haniyeh. This makes Sinwar the new main leader of Hamas.

This change was unexpected. Sinwar's name hadn’t come ...