The Hamas group has named Khalil al-Hayya as its new chief. He takes over the leadership position previously held by Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by the Israeli military in October 2024.
The group announced on Monday that al-Hayya, who was previously the deputy chairman and a member of the five-person leadership council, emerged victorious in an internal runoff election against former Hamas politician Khalid Maschal.
His ascent to the top ranks followed the deaths of several senior Hamas leaders throughout 2024. In addition to Sinwar, militant chief Mohammed Deif was killed in the Gaza Strip, and Ismail Haniyya was killed by Israel during a visit to Tehran.
Since those events, al-Hayya has been one of the five figures constituting the Hamas provisional leadership council. He is generally based in Qatar. Last year, the Israeli Air Force attempted an attack on the Hamas leadership in Doha, and al-Hayya was reported to have been one of the targets. The new Hamas chief has also recently served as a negotiator in talks concerning a permanent peace arrangement for the Gaza Strip, though the implementation of such an agreement has stalled.
