JERUSALEM, 27 April 2004 — Israeli military officials yesterday identified Mahmoud Zahar, a surgeon and prominent Hamas hard-liner, as the new leader of the group in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas has refused to reveal the name of the man chosen to replace Abdelaziz Al-Rantissi, the Hamas leader killed in an Israeli airstrike on April 17.
Hamas yesterday denied the Israeli claims regarding Zahar, calling it a ploy to draw out information about the group’s secretive leadership structure.
Hamas leaders in Gaza have been in hiding since the group’s founder, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, was assassinated by Israel on March 22. Israel has said the group’s entire leadership is marked for death.
All three major Israeli newspapers yesterday identified Zahar as the group’s new leader.
Israel’s military chief, Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon, told the Yediot Ahronot daily that the new leader had accepted the post reluctantly and signaled that Israel would avoid attacking him as long as the group remains quiet.
“He doesn’t want it, and he is apparently avoiding making decisions, and he is apparently avoiding terrorism,” Yaalon said. “Anyone who doesn’t use terrorism against us, we do not deal with.”
He did not identify the Hamas leader, but military officials said Yaalon was referring to Zahar.
Zahar, the former personal physician of Yassin, is considered a hard-liner in Hamas. He rejects not only any settlement with Israel, but also opposes compromise with Yasser Arafat’s Palestinian Authority.
Since Rantissi’s death, Hamas has said it has a new leader but refused to identify him.
Ismail Haniyeh, a prominent Hamas spokesman in Gaza, accused Israel of trying to trick Hamas into divulging sensitive information.
