Key Takeaways
- Khalil al-Hayya, a key Hamas negotiator, has been elected as the group's new head of political bureau.
- The election follows the death of Yahya al-Sinwar and was conducted through a secretive process due to security concerns.
- Al-Hayya is expected to formally assume his role next week.
Hamas has announced that Khalil al-Hayya, the group's lead negotiator in indirect ceasefire talks with Israel, has been elected as the new head of its political bureau. The decision was made following the death of Yahya al-Sinwar, who had previously held this position.
Al-Hayya defeated former Hamas chief and veteran leader Khaled Meshaal in a leadership contest that garnered overwhelming support among Hamas members. A senior Hamas official told AFP: 'Khalil al-Hayya was elected by an overwhelming majority.'
The political bureau is expected to meet in Istanbul within days to form committees and begin restructuring Hamas's leadership bodies, with the current five-member leadership council set to be dissolved.
Al-Hayya, born in 1960, has a long history with Hamas. He survived an Israeli assassination attempt in Doha last year, though one of his sons was killed during the attack. His election is seen as a significant shift within the group's leadership structure.
Representatives of Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, have declared their full support for Hayya. Hailing from Gaza, he has lost several close relatives to Israeli strikes and is regarded as having good ties with Iran.
Al-Hayya's involvement in brokering truces with Israel includes playing a key role in ending the 2014 conflict between Hamas and Israel. He has been part of Hamas since its establishment in 1987, joining the Muslim Brotherhood in the early 1980s.
In Gaza, he was detained several times by Israeli forces. In 2007, an Israeli air strike killed several members of his family, and during the 2014 conflict, the house of his eldest son, Osama, was bombed, resulting in multiple casualties. Al-Hayya left Gaza years ago to serve as a Hamas point person for ties with the Arab and Islamic worlds, based in Qatar.
The election process was conducted through a highly complex and secretive mechanism due to the difficult security situation and the occupation's assassination of several political and military leaders.
'Khalil al-Hayya was elected by an overwhelming majority.'
A senior Hamas official, AFP
