Story highlights Analysts say the election of Yehya al-Sinwar indicates the growing power of Hamas' military wing

Al-Sinwar spent most of his adult life in Israeli jails before being released in 2011

(CNN) Hamas has tapped one of its most hardline figures to become its new leader in the Gaza Strip, a move analysts say is a sign of the growing influence of the group's military wing.

Yehya al-Sinwar was a founder of Hamas' military wing in the 1980s. Analysts say his election indicates the growing power of the military wing, al-Qasam Brigades, over the group's political wing.

The military wing, which boasts a large arsenal of rockets and thousands of fighters, has fought Israel in three wars since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007.

Al-Sinwar is expected to take over from Ismail al-Haniya, who has served as the prime minister of the Hamas government in Gaza since 2006.

Hamas is sworn to Israel's destruction, and the group is considered a terrorist group by the US.

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