Yahya Sinwar (Arabic: يحيى السنوار‎, born 1962; also called Yehya Al-Sinwar and spelled Yehiya Sinwar or Yehiyeh Sinwar) is the current Palestinian leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, having taken over from Ismail Haniyeh in February 2017. He was one of the co-founders of the security apparatus of Hamas. He is the second most powerful figure within Hamas. In September 2015, Sinwar was designated a terrorist by the United States government, and Hamas and the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades have also been designated terrorist organisations by the United States and other countries and organisations.