Israel-Hamas war latest: Hamas chooses Oct. 7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar as their new leader

The Palestinian militant group Hamas chose Yahya Sinwar, its top official in Gaza who masterminded the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, as its new leader. The group’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed July 31 in Iran by a presumed Israeli strike.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken responded to the decision by saying Sinwar has the power to ensure that a cease-fire deal is reached for the Israel-Hamas war.

U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Tuesday about their hopes of a cease-fire and hostage release deal calming tensions in the Middle East, which soared after the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah confirmed that Israel killed a top commander after a rare strike in Beirut, as well as Haniyeh’s killing. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Cabinet over the weekend that Israel is already in a “multi-front war” with Iran and its proxies.

Inside Gaza, the only corridor for humanitarian aid to enter the south has been shut down because of fighting in the area. The Palestinian territory faces a severe humanitarian crisis as its Health Ministry says the death toll in the enclave is nearing 40,000.

Here’s the latest:

JERUSALEM — The Israeli military issued new evacuation orders Wednesday for an area in northern Gaza that was heavily bombed at the start of the war some 10 months ago.

The military said it would respond to a Hamas rocket attack from the Beit Hanoun area the day before and urged residents to relocate to Gaza City, large areas of which have been destroyed.

Beit Hanoun, which is close to the border, was one of the first targets of the massive bombardment and ground invasion launched after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, which triggered the war.

Israeli forces have repeatedly returned to areas where past air and ground operations caused widespread destruction, as militants have regrouped. The vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced within the narrow coastal strip since the start of the war — often multiple times. Hundreds of thousands are sheltering in crowded tent camps.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the Oct. 7 attack who is becoming Hamas’ new political leader, has the power to ensure that a cease-fire deal is reached.

Sinwar “has been and remains the primary decider when it comes to concluding the cease-fire, and so I think this (today’s announcement) only underscores the fact that it’s really on him to decide whether to move forward with a cease-fire that manifestly will help so many Palestinians in desperate need, women, children, men who are caught in a crossfire,” Blinken said. “It really is on him.”