Gazans have voiced concern after Hamas appointed Yahya Sinwar as its new supremo, fearing his past as the movement’s military commander might hamper efforts for the ceasefire they yearn for, AFP reports.

“We don’t know how Hamas is thinking or what led them to choose Yahya Sinwar as their chief, especially when his whereabouts are unknown,” 29-year-old Mohammad al-Sharif told AFP in the central Gaza city of Deir el-Balah.

“He is a fighter. How will negotiations take place?” asked the displaced man originally from Gaza City, adding: “We want nothing but the end of the war.”

Bashir Qarqaz voiced fears that Israel’s determination to kill Sinwar would make his appointment an obstacle to peace.

“The war will not end in the near future because Israel rejects Sinwar,” he said, adding that “they want a political figure to concede to them, and Sinwar is a stubborn man who may not concede”.

Sinwar has not been seen since the attack on Israel, with many reports claiming he is operating from one of several underground tunnels in Gaza.

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