Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has reportedly issued orders to resume suicide bombings, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.
The directive was given after Sinwar consolidated power, assuming full control of Hamas following the deaths of Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh. Shortly after Sinwar’s orders, a terrorist carrying a backpack filled with explosives entered Tel Aviv. The bomb detonated prematurely, killing only the attacker and preventing what could have been a deadly strike.
Suicide bombings were a hallmark of the Second Intifada during the early 2000s, but despite the devastating impact on civilians, they failed to compel Israel to make concessions.
The backlash was significant. Arab intelligence officials who communicate "regularly" with Sinwar told WSJ that although there were internal reservations, no one within Hamas was willing to speak out against the decision to revive such attacks.
Matthew Levitt, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute, commented, "Under Sinwar, Hamas can be expected to adopt a more hard-line, fundamentalist approach."
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