Tehran, Aug 7 (IANS): Palestinian group Hamas on Tuesday announced that its Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar will be its new political leader, replacing the assassinated Ismail Haniyeh, reports said.

The announcement came a week after its politburo chief Haniyeh was assassinated in his Tehran accommodation, hours after he attended the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian. Iran has blamed the assassination on Israel and vowed a harsh response.

Yahya Ibrahim Hassan Sinwar, 61, has been the group's leader in Gaza since early 2017, succeeding Haniyeh in the role. He is accused of orchestrating the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, triggering the Israeli attack on the beleaguered strip, which had devastated the area and left nearly 40,000 people dead.

Arrested and tried by Israel for abducting and killing two Israeli soldiers and four alleged Palestinian collaborators in 1989, Sinwar was sentenced to four life sentences and served 22 years until his release along with over 1,000 more in a 2011 prisoner exchange for abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.