An Israeli newspaper talks about the next leader of "Hamas" in Gaza.. "A freed prisoner"

An Israeli newspaper highlighted one of the leaders of Hamas, claiming that he will be the next leader in the Gaza Strip during the upcoming phase, following a two-year genocide war that included the assassination of prominent figures in the movement's first rank.

The newspaper "Israel Hayom" mentioned in an article by its international affairs commentator Shahar Kleinman that "Tawfiq Abu Naim (63 years old) will be the next leader in Gaza, possessing political experience and being a student of Ahmed Yassin," believing that "after many of his Hamas partners have been eliminated, he is in an excellent position to become the next leader in Gaza."

The newspaper pointed out that Abu Naim was one of the close associates of Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar, prior to the October 7 attack, and is one of the strongest men in the sector, adding that "after two years from the attack, he finds himself in a position to become the new ruler of Gaza."

He grew up in the Al-Bureij camp and noted that "like other figures in Hamas, Abu Naim grew up in the Al-Bureij camp, to which his family migrated from the city of Beersheba, studied at the Islamic University in Gaza, completed his bachelor's degree in Sharia, and later obtained a doctorate, likely meeting Sinwar there for the first time."

The newspaper noted that Abu Naim was a member of the "Mujd" apparatus alongside Sinwar and Rouhi Mushtaha, confirming that he was sentenced to life imprisonment in Israeli prisons, became one of the prominent leaders, learned Hebrew on his own, and strengthened his relationship with Sinwar.

It continued: "After twenty years, he returned to Gaza as part of a prisoner exchange deal in 2011, and Abu Naim held several administrative positions in the Hamas government, which were related to addressing the issues of the families of martyrs and prisoners, and among his roles was managing the absorption of Palestinians who left Syria, some of whom joined Hamas's military wing."

It confirmed that "Gaza was managed under the supervision of the police and internal security agencies and a general security system, all designed to thwart any intelligence breach, even if small, and Abu Naim was appointed to the ministry responsible for these mechanisms nearly a decade ago, with his tasks including strengthening police forces."

According to the claims of the Hebrew newspaper, Abu Naim established relationships with senior Egyptian intelligence officials, including Ahmed Abdel Khalek, who is responsible for the Palestinian file, and through him, coordination was made to establish sites along the border between Gaza and Sinai, aimed at tightening the noose on Salafi groups in the peninsula, which earned him positive points in Cairo, but also left him with enemies.

It mentioned that "the prevailing belief is that Abu Naim, like other senior figures, has been summoned to take on key positions in Hamas, given the increasing gap in the upper leadership and the economic crisis, for example, only Mahmoud al-Zahar remains in the political bureau in Gaza, while the rest were killed in the war or are currently abroad, the oldest among them being Khalil Hayya."

The newspaper expected that "Abu Naim, alongside prominent figures in the military wing, will participate in shaping the post-war Gaza landscape, as he has more political experience than the leaders of the wing, Izz al-Din al-Haddad and Raed Saad, and Abu Naim may become a potential figure who holds the reins behind the scenes, even if a technocratic executive committee is formed."

It concluded by saying: "The real test will begin in the second phase of the plan, when an international force is deployed in Gaza to enforce a ceasefire, and that day will also represent a test for Tawfiq Abu Naim and the surviving senior figures in the military wing: will they succeed in repeating past experiences and proving that Gaza has no master? Or will they be stopped by forces better trained and armed than the factions they have faced so far?"