Hamas official says group in final stage of choosing new chief

A senior Hamas official told AFP on Sunday that the Palestinian Islamist movement was in the final phase of selecting a new leader, with two prominent figures competing for the position.

Hamas recently completed the formation of a new Shura Council of more than 80 members, a consultative body largely composed of religious scholars, as well as a new 18-member political bureau, the official said.

Since the war in Gaza began after Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, Israeli forces have killed several Hamas leaders, including two former chiefs.

"The movement has completed its internal elections in the three regions and has reached the final stage of selecting the head of the political bureau," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak publicly.

He said the race for the group's leadership was now between Khaled Meshaal and Khalil al-Hayya.

A second Hamas source confirmed the development, while a third source said the new leader would lead the movement only "for one year".

Despite a US-brokered ceasefire that entered its second phase last month, violence has continued in Gaza, with Israel and Hamas blaming each other for violating the agreement.

Members of the council are elected every four years by representatives from Hamas's three branches: the Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank and the movement's external leadership.

Hamas prisoners in Israeli jails are also eligible to vote.

The council subsequently elects the political bureau, which in turn selects the head of the movement.

- 'No difference to us' -

Palestinians in Gaza voiced mixed reactions to the developments within Hamas.

"It will not make a difference to us in Gaza whether it is Meshaal or Hayya," said Ali, 40, originally from northern Gaza but now displaced to the central part of the territory.

"We have paid a heavy price under Hamas' rule, and we need a leader who can ease the suffering we are experiencing," he said, giving only his first name.

Radwan Mortaja, 38, from Al-Mawasi in southern Gaza, said the two contenders were seasoned figures within Hamas.

"At this time, we need leaders with long experience... and who are acceptable to Arab countries to help stabilise Gaza," said Mortaja.

"I believe figures such as Khaled Meshaal and Khalil al-Hayya can help steer the situation during this difficult phase."

Thousands of Hamas members voted to choose the council and the political bureau, a third Hamas source said, without specifying how the vote was conducted.

"The primary goal of the process was to renew internal legitimacy and fill leadership vacancies," he said.

The new leader will need to navigate between international calls, led by the United States and Israel, for the group to disarm, and resistance to that demand from its armed wing, which fought Israeli forces in Gaza.

Hamas has said previously it would surrender its weapons to a Palestinian authority in Gaza under certain conditions.

- Experienced leaders -

Both Meshaal and Hayya have years of experience within the movement.

Hayya, 65, a Gaza native and Hamas's chief negotiator in ceasefire talks, has held senior roles since at least 2006, according to the US-based NGO the Counter Extremism Project (CEP).

Meshaal, who led the political bureau from 2004 to 2017, has never lived in Gaza. He was born in the West Bank in 1956.

He joined Hamas in Kuwait and later lived in Jordan, Syria and Qatar. The CEP says he oversaw Hamas's evolution into a political-military hybrid.

He currently heads the movement's diaspora office.

Last month, a Hamas source told AFP that Hayya enjoyed backing from the group's armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades.

After Israel killed former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July 2024, the group chose its then-Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar as his successor.

Israel accused Sinwar of masterminding the October 7 attack. He too was killed by Israeli forces in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Hamas then opted for a five-member leadership committee based in Qatar, postponing the appointment of a single leader until elections, given the risk of the new chief being targeted by Israel.