The killing of Mohammed Sinwar marks the end of the secretive group that planned the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel.

The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas said Iran, its strategic ally, was "paying the price" for supporting militant groups in Gaza in their decades-long struggle against Israel, after Israel launched large-scale attacks on Friday against Iran.

After Israel killed his two predecessors, Ezzedin al-Haddad takes over a group that is battered and depleted of veterans—but still deadly.

Member of Hamas’s political bureau, Izzat al-Risheq, has warned that whoever attacks amid the ongoing war between Israel and Iran will pay the price. Al-Risheq gave the warning while insisting that Iran’s latest retaliatory attack against Israel was a clear message.

The war began when Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack and abducted 251 hostages. More than half the captives have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Israeli forces have rescued eight and recovered the remains of dozens more.

The confirmation of Mr Sinwar’s death changes little in and of itself. Hamas has already appointed a replacement and it has weathered the killings of many of its bosses. But it could shift the balance within the movement’s leadership, formerly dominated by Gazans, just as Israel once again increases pressure on the coastal strip.

As Abu Shabab and his militia continue to fend off the allegations, Basem Naim, Hamas Political Bureau member and spokesperson, asserted that the group had little influence in Gaza, marking an apparent blow to Israel's efforts to challenge Hamas' rule in the territory.

Hamas leaders outside the strip – currently based in Doha, Beirut and Istanbul – "have the upper hand once again". They are "expected to support" a ceasefire deal "relinquishing Hamas' post-war role in Gaza but preserving its standing in the Arab world".