Hamas announced on Monday that it had elected Khalil al-Hayya as the head of its political bureau, succeeding Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by Israeli forces in October 2024.
"The Islamic Resistance Movement [Hamas] announces the election of the mujahid brother Khalil al-Hayya as head of the movement's political bureau, succeeding the martyred leader Yahya Sinwar," the terror group wrote in an official statement posted to Telegram.
Hamas has been governed by a five-man committee, of which al-Hayya was a member, since Sinwar’s death, but, after a lengthy delay, held elections to appoint a new solo leader.
In May, it had already elected al-Hayya as its leader in the Gaza Strip and he had previously served as its chief negotiator in ceasefire talks..
Arabic media reports at the time said the group planned to appoint another senior figure from Gaza to replace al-Hayya if he became head of the political bureau.
A US-brokered ceasefire that took effect on October 10, 2025, ended the two-year war that began on October 7, 2023, with Hamas murdering some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages during a wave of attacks on southern Israel.
All three of Hamas' top leaders from that time – Sinwar in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh abroad, and Saleh al-Arouri in the West Bank – were subsequently eliminated by Israeli forces within roughly a year.
Before October 7, al-Hayya served as deputy to Sinwar and maintained close ties with Tehran, including being part of a delegation of top Hamas officials who met with Iran's now-slain supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.
Al-Hayya left the Gaza Strip before October 7 and has since mostly been based in Qatar, though he has also made visits to Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon and Syria.
He was among a group of Hamas leaders targeted by an Israeli strike on the Qatari capital, Doha, in September, and was initially reported to have been killed, though it later transpired that he had survived.
His main rival in the election was Khaled Mashaal, former chair of the political bureau.
Of the two, al-Hayya was known as the pro-Iran choice, pushing for Hamas to deepen its ties with the Islamic Republic, which has funded and supplied the group for decades, while Mashaal was believed to favour a pivot away from Tehran and towards better relations with the Gulf states, such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which are perceived as more moderate in their relations with Israel.
Al-Hayya is also said to favour "armed conflict with Israel in the Gaza Strip until the war ends and the Israeli army withdraws from the Strip entirely", while Mashall reportedly backs "negotiated compromises to end the occupation of Gaza".
His election comes at a time when Hamas’ military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, are without a leader, following the assassination of Izz al-Din al-Haddad in May.
To get more Israel news, click here to sign up for our free Israel Briefing newsletter.