Khalil al-Hayya has been elected as the brand new head of Hamas, ending almost two years of the motion being with no chief.
After the assassination of former chief Yahya Sinwar in October 2024, Hamas has been managed by a five-member management council, of which al-Hayya was a member.
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His most important competitor for this week’s management problem was Khaled Meshaal, the previous head of the political bureau. Al-Hayya beat Meshaal by only a single vote, profitable 35 of the 69 votes forged.
His election probably provides the US one chief inside the motion to take care of, specialists say.
Al-Hayya, extensively seen as a pragmatist, was reportedly concerned in direct negotiations on Gaza with US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Particular Envoy Steve Witkoff final October.
Regardless of his obvious hyperlinks to Iran, his election win and the rapport he established with Witkoff through the talks may allow extra US-led negotiations on Gaza’s future
“He’s seen as a really natural a part of the Iranian-styled Axis of Resistance, however he’s equally snug pursuing negotiations and diplomatic paths. For example, my understanding is that Witkoff was very eager on negotiating with al-Hayya straight,” stated Muhammad Shehada, a visiting fellow with the European Council on Overseas Relations (ECFR) and a Gazan researcher, author and human rights advocate.
“He additionally recognized inside Hamas because the ’father of 4 martyrs,’ referring to the 2 sons who had been killed earlier than October 7, one who was killed through the Israeli strikes on Doha, whereas discussing Witkoff’s proposal [in September 2025], and one who was killed afterwards.”
Their deaths carry a connection to Witkoff, whose son died on the age of twenty-two in 2011, Shehada stated.
Witkoff acknowledged the bond throughout a 60 Minutes interview with CBS News, the place the envoy stated he supplied his condolences to Al-Hayya.
“We expressed our condolences to him for the lack of his son. He talked about it, and I instructed him that I had misplaced a son and that we had been each members of a extremely unhealthy membership: dad and mom who’ve buried youngsters,” he stated.
‘Continuity candidate’
Born and raised in Gaza, al-Hayya served because the group’s exiled Gaza chief and principal negotiator in ceasefire and prisoner-swap negotiations throughout Israel’s ongoing genocide within the enclave.
His profile inside Hamas grew considerably following the assassinations of each Sinwar and former political chief Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran in July 2024.
Al-Hayya was amongst leaders targeted in an Israeli strike in Doha final yr.
Hugh Lovatt, a senior coverage fellow on the ECFR, stated al-Hayya’s election is unlikely to basically change the motion’s inner buildings.
“He’s very a lot the continuity candidate. He was the deputy head in Gaza below Sinwar and has been near the senior management for a while,” Hugh Lovatt, a senior coverage fellow on the ECFR, stated. “Whereas he’s been described as hardline and near Iran, each of these include heavy caveats.”
Al-Hayya is taken into account a sensible political determine, who may information Hamas alongside the same trajectory it has been on because the October 2025 Gaza ceasefire, despite Israel’s repeated violations of the agreement.
“There are actually extra hardline figures inside the group and al-Hayya has confirmed himself a pragmatist all through ceasefire negotiations with Israel,” stated Lovatt.
“Equally, with Iran, there are extra vocal supporters within the group and Hamas has at all times calibrated its assist between Arab states and Tehran, so there’s no indication Hamas is about to come back below Iranian management.”
Hamas has retained its administrative presence in Gaza, the place al-Hayya is claimed to have a reputational affinity with, regardless of the territory being nearly fully destroyed by Israel’s struggle and the killing of at the least 72,000 Palestinians.
Although Hamas’s navy features have been severely depleted by steady Israeli strikes, the motion continues to supervise fundamental civil features, together with well being companies and emergency rescue operations throughout the Strip.
“This appointment delivers two daring messages: one is that Hamas’s inner construction and processes are nonetheless intact and functioning correctly regardless of all odds, together with the killing of most of its political and navy management,” Khaled al-Hroub, a professor in residence at Northwestern College in Qatar, stated. “The second is that Gaza nonetheless enjoys the lion’s share in decision-making. This doesn’t essentially imply extra hardline politics, however it signifies the main focus stays on the Gaza base as a precedence.”
