Israel is hunting down Yahya Sinwar’s younger brother Muhammad amid rumours he could become the next Hamas leader.

Muhammad Sinwar is expected to fill the void created by his brother’s death, even if only temporarily, given he is one of the few remaining senior Hamas leaders left, an Israeli intelligence source told the Telegraph.

Israel has worked systematically to take out Hamas’ senior command across Gaza and the Middle East, culminating with the killing of Yahya Sinwar on Wednesday in the southern city of Rafah.

However there is no consensus among the Israeli intelligence community on whether Yahya’s younger sibling is poised to take over the reins.