Hamas What next for them after death of its leader Yahya Sinwar?

Hamas is seeking to frame the death of its leader, Yahya Sinwar, in Gaza as a victory. It is emphasising how the 62-year-old veteran died on Thursday fighting on the frontline, armed and wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh, and how the organisation has survived for 37 years despite the assassination by Israel of a series of its leaders.

- Jason Burke

In a statement, Bassem Naim, a Hamas spokesperson and member of the leadership council, acknowledged the distress of losing "beloved people, especially extraordinary leaders like ours", but said the group was sure of eventual victory as "this is the outcome for all people who fought for their liberty". Naim pointed to the assassinations of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the cleric who founded Hamas, and Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi, Yassin's successor, as examples of how the militant Islamist organisation "each time became stronger and more popular".

But rhetoric cannot entirely obscure reality. Since the surprise attack launched into Israel by Sinwar just over a year ago, a series of Hamas's top officials have died in Israeli strikes, most notably Ismail Haniyeh, Sinwar's predecessor at the head of the organisation.