Hamas has elected Khalil al-Hayya as its new overall leader, the Hamas leadership vote confirming a shift at the top of the Palestinian armed group. He takes over from Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by the Israeli military in Gaza in October 2024.
Hayya, who has been based in Qatar and already served as Hamas’s chief negotiator, has been one of the group’s most visible figures in indirect ceasefire talks. He has met mediators in Egypt and Qatar and has recently taken on more responsibility for Hamas’s diplomatic and political strategy. The 65-year-old is also seen as part of the harder line inside Hamas and as a close ally of Sinwar, while continuing the political approach associated with the late Ismail Haniyeh.
The Hamas leadership contest was decided after two rounds of voting, according to a Palestinian official familiar with the process. The first round was not conclusive. Former political bureau chief Khaled Meshaal won slightly more votes than Hayya, but did not reach the threshold needed for election. Under Hamas rules, a candidate must secure at least 36 votes from the 69-member electoral college. The second round was then decided by a first-past-the-post vote.
The result points to a deeper split over where Hamas goes next. One camp, linked to Meshaal, has argued that the group should rethink a strategy built mainly around armed conflict and move toward a more practical political path while keeping its main aims. Hayya’s supporters argued that the Gaza-based leadership, which has carried the heaviest burden of the war, should now set the direction and resist major concessions, especially on disarmament.
