Hamas' new political leader Yahya Sinwar is seen as more extreme — and less willing to compromise

• Hamas appointed Yahya Sinwar as the leader of its political wing following the assassination of its former political chief, Ismail Haniyeh.
• This makes Sinwar — a man known for his ruthlessness who is widely seen as having masterminded the Oct. 7 attack — the most powerful person in the organization.
• Haniyeh's killing has resulted in a much more hardline leader for Hamas, likely dealing a severe blow to chances of a cease-fire.

Hamas on Tuesday appointed Yahya Sinwar as the leader of its political wing following the assassination of its former political chief, Ismail Haniyeh.

This makes Sinwar — a man known for his ruthlessness who is widely seen as having masterminded the Oct. 7 attack — the most powerful person in the organization and its face in international diplomacy.

"The most extreme part of Hamas carried out October 7 ... and is now officially in power," Michael Horowitz, a geopolitical analyst and head of intel at risk management firm Le Beck International, wrote in a post on X.

The Middle East has been on edge following the killing of Haniyeh in Iran on July 31, which Iran and Hamas blamed on Israel. Israel has stayed silent on the matter, while Iran has pledged to carry out some form of retaliatory attack on the Jewish state.

Meanwhile, Haniyeh's killing has resulted in a much more extreme leader for Hamas, likely setting the Palestinian militant group in a direction that bodes poorly for ceasefire talks aimed at ending the war and freeing the Israeli hostages still captive in Gaza.

Haniyeh, based in Qatar, was Hamas' lead negotiator in the cease-fire talks with Israel and was described as being more pragmatic and supportive of a deal. While the negotiations have been ongoing for months with no success, Sinwar