US intelligence agencies scrambled Thursday morning to update their assessment of who might succeed Hamas leader Yahya Shinwar, who was killed in an overnight Israeli operation.
US officials have long hoped that killing Shinwar would give Israel the political opening it needs to agree to a ceasefire. But who succeeds him could have a profound impact on whether Hamas is prepared to resume meaningful talks with Israel to end the fighting and release hostages, the sources said.
Current and former US officials say there are several potential successors to the shadowy Chinwar, who has been the sole voice of authority in the organization for more than a year.
If Mohammad Sinwar – Yahya’s brother – “The negotiations have been completely hijacked,” said a US official. Mohammed Sinwar, according to one former official, is cut from the same tough cloth as his brother, who long believed the United States was willing to sacrifice Palestinian civilians to achieve its vision. His brother, Mohammed, oversaw Hamas’s tunnel construction network, according to a former US official.
There is another possibility Khalil Al HayyaHe was one of the chief negotiators for Hamas during the ceasefire talks held in Doha. Because of this, he “probably wants America,” the former official said. Al Hayya took over as chief negotiator after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July, widely believed to have been orchestrated by Israel.
There will be a third option Khaled Meshaal – Hamas’s obvious choice, but unlikely because of its past support for the Sunni uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The episode drove a wedge between Hamas and its host, Shiite-dominated Iran. It also damaged Mishaal’s leadership ambition.
CNN’s Alex Marquardt contributed to this report.
