How Hamas prisoners elect leaders behind bars
Even locked in Israeli prisons, Hamas members contribute to the movement's decision-making process by holding leadership elections every two years.
Hamas members incarcerated in Israeli prisons recently held elections to determine their leadership for 2017-19. Although these elected members remain behind bars, they have great influence within the Hamas leadership outside prison and they weigh in on major Hamas decisions.
Prisoners participated in all 22 Israeli prisons, including the largest — Ketziot — as well as Ofer, Ramon and Megiddo. There are about 1,800 Hamas prisoners among 7,000 total Palestinian prisoners from different factions, according to Riyad al-Ashqar, the former director of the media office in the Palestinian Ministry of Prisoners Affairs in the Gaza Strip.
