A senior Hamas official revealed that the Palestinian Islamist movement is in the final phase of selecting a new leader, with two prominent figures emerging as contenders.
According to the official, who spoke anonymously, Hamas has finalized the formation of a new Shura Council consisting of more than 80 members, alongside an 18-member political bureau. The council, largely made up of religious scholars, plays a central role in guiding the movement’s political decisions.
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The race for leadership is now between Khaled Meshaal and Khalil al-Hayya. Another Hamas source confirmed the development, adding that the next leader may serve only a one-year term.
The leadership transition comes during ongoing conflict in Gaza. Since the war began following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, Israeli forces have killed several senior Hamas leaders, including former chiefs Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar.
Under Hamas’s internal structure, representatives from Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and the group’s external leadership elect the Shura Council every four years. Palestinian prisoners affiliated with Hamas in Israeli jails are also allowed to vote. The council then selects the political bureau, which appoints the movement’s chief.
Reactions among Palestinians in Gaza have been mixed. Some residents expressed frustration, saying leadership changes may not immediately improve living conditions. Others believe experienced figures are needed to stabilize the territory and maintain regional relations.
Both candidates bring extensive experience. Hayya, 65, is a Gaza native and has served as Hamas’s chief negotiator in ceasefire talks. Meshaal, who led Hamas’s political bureau from 2004 to 2017, has lived primarily outside Gaza and currently heads the movement’s diaspora office.
Following the killing of Haniyeh in Tehran in July 2024, Hamas appointed Sinwar as his successor. After Sinwar was also killed in Rafah, the group established a five-member leadership committee based in Qatar, delaying the selection of a single leader due to security concerns.
The new chief will face significant challenges, including international pressure—particularly from the United States and Israel—to disarm, while balancing resistance from Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades.
As the election process concludes, Hamas’s leadership choice is expected to shape the movement’s political and military direction during a critical and volatile period.
