Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar's new role as head of the terrorist group's politburo will not shield him from the Israeli security forces, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said on Wednesday.

Sinwar, 61, the architect of the Oct. 7 massacre and who is believed to be hiding underground in the Khan Yunis area, was chosen to replace Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran on July 31, as the head of Hamas' "political wing."

"Yahya Sinwar received a new title yesterday, he is now the head of Hamas' Political Bureau. This title, 'political,' won't absolve him from being a murderer who is connected to all of the planning and execution of what happened on Oct. 7," Halevi said during a visit to Tel Nof Air Force Base.

"Not only will the change in title not prevent us from pursuing him, it motivates us and we will make the effort to find him, to target him, and for them [Hamas] to replace the head of the political bureau once again," he continued.

Sinwar is widely believed to have masterminded the Oct. 7 assault, in which Hamas terrorists murdered some 1,200 people, wounded thousands and took more than 250 back to Gaza as hostages.

"We have carried out very important operations in recent weeks, eliminating the most senior commanders of our most problematic enemies, and we are not stopping," Halevi emphasized.