Hamas names new leader as Gaza war grinds on – who is he?

Hamas has elected Khalil al-Hayya as the new head of its political bureau, filling the leadership vacancy left by the assasination of Yahya Sinwar, the group announced on Monday.

Al-Hayya, who previously served as Hamas’ Gaza chief in exile and its chief ceasefire negotiator, was chosen following internal elections. He competed for the position against Khaled Meshaal, a former head of the political bureau and longtime leader of the group’s external wing.

According to Arab media reports, al-Hayya is regarded as “more hardline” than Meshaal. He was also among the senior Hamas officials targeted in a 2025 Israeli attack in Doha, where he is based, Israeli officials told Reuters.

Hamas faces crisis in Gaza and beyond

Al-Hayya’s selection comes at one of the most difficult moments for Hamas since the group was founded in 1987. It has been battered by years of war following its October 7 attack on Israel, faced growing international demands to disarm, and lost a succession of senior figures in Israeli assassinations.

After Ismail Haniyeh, the previous head of the political bureau, was assassinated in Tehran in late July 2024, Yahya Sinwar became the movement’s leader. Sinwar, widely described as one of the masterminds of the October 7 attacks, was himself killed in the autumn of 2024.

Hamas subsequently established a five-member senior leadership council that included al-Hayya and Meshaal, along with three other officials.

The process of electing a new leader began in January but was interrupted by the wars in Iran and Lebanon, as well as Israel’s continuing military campaign in Gaza. When the vote was eventually held, a 50-member council comprising Hamas representatives from Gaza, the West Bank – reportedly including members held in Israeli prisons – and the group’s leadership in exile took part.

Nine months into the ceasefire, both sides have been accused of violations on an almost daily basis. According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, Israeli attacks over the 275-day period killed 1,122 Palestinians and injured 3,599. Hamas has also violated the ceasefire, killing several Israeli soldiers and carrying out summary executions and armed clashes with rival factions.

The group is also under mounting international pressure to disarm under US President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan, which calls for an Israeli military withdrawal and the establishment of a new technocratic Palestinian administration in Gaza.

Talks involving Hamas, mediators, and US envoys have so far failed to produce a broader agreement ending the conflict. Israel continues to control more than 60% of the coastal enclave, while conditions for Gaza’s approximately 2 million residents remain dire.

Who is Khalil al-Hayya?

Hayya was born in Gaza in 1960 and has been a member of Hamas since the group’s founding in 1987. He rose through its local leadership in Gaza before becoming one of its most senior political figures and a key participant in negotiations over ceasefires and prisoner exchanges.

Several members of Hayya’s family have been killed by Israel. His wife and three of his children died during an attempt to assassinate him in 2007.

He played a central role in negotiating ceasefires with Israel during the Gaza wars of 2014 and 2023.

Al-Hayya has long been associated with Hamas’ ties to Iran and the wider ‘Axis of Resistance’, which includes Hezbollah.

Analysts cited by Reuters said his appointment could signal a more hardline position in response to international demands for Hamas to disarm.

Following the announcement, Hezbollah congratulated Hamas on al-Hayya’s election, describing the vote as evidence that the group remains “strong and united” despite the war and the killing of several of its leaders.