Portrait of New Hamas Leadership: Khalil al-Hayya Elected Leader
Khalil al-Hayya, a Gaza-born founding member of Hamas, has been elected as the new leader of the radical Islamist Palestinian group in a closely contested vote of 35 to 34 in the Shura Council. He defeated Khaled Mashal, who is considered more pragmatic. Al-Hayya, a close confidant of former leader Yahya Sinwar, is seen as a hardliner who will maintain armed struggle and strengthen ties with Iran. He has survived multiple Israeli assassination attempts and lost 17 relatives, including several sons, in Israeli strikes. Despite his hardline stance, al-Hayya has good connections with Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, and has met with US envoy Steve Witkoff. The article notes that ideologically, little change is expected under his leadership, and the implementation of Trump's 20-point plan for Gaza remains stalled.
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