Hamas elects Khalil al-Hayya as new leader in 35-34 vote

Khalil al-Hayya in 2024. Photo: Khalil Hamra/AP/dpa

By Felix Wellisch

The election of the new Hamas leader, Khalil al-Hayya, was reportedly an extremely close contest. With only 35 votes to 34, the Gaza-born figure prevailed, according to the Qatari broadcaster Al Arabi earlier this week. Observers view the selection of the 65-year-old as a directional decision against more pragmatic voices within the radical Islamist Palestinian group, which is designated as a terrorist organization by numerous states.

Nearly two years after the Israeli army killed al-Hayya's predecessor, Yahya Sinwar, in southern Gaza, a close confidant of the mastermind behind the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, now assumes leadership. Regarding the massacres—in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were abducted—al-Hayya told The New York Times: "We succeeded in putting the Palestine issue back into focus." Since then, Israel has destroyed much of the Gaza Strip, killed at least 73,000 people, and compressed the roughly two million residents into 30 to 40 percent of the territory. The new Hamas chief has lived in exile for several years, primarily in Qatar.

Nevertheless, the broad-shouldered al-Hayya, who typically appears publicly in a suit and shirt, maintains strong connections on the ground. He was born in Gaza City in 1960 and studied Islamic studies and Islamic law in Gaza, Jordan, and Sudan. In 1987, he joined Hamas as a founding member.

Credibility for al-Hayya

Al-Hayya also enjoys credibility within the organization and among segments of the population in the Gaza Strip, having survived numerous Israeli assassination attempts and lost a total of 17 relatives.

• In 2006, he was elected as a deputy to the Palestinian parliament.
• In 2007, the Israeli military killed two of his brothers and five other relatives in his parents' home.
• In 2008, his son Hamza died in a drone strike.
• In 2014, his eldest son Osama died along with his family.

Al-Hayya continued nonetheless. As deputy head of Hamas in Gaza, he repeatedly played an important role in the organization's contacts with Arab and Islamic states. During the Gaza wars with Israel in 2012 and 2014, he served as a key negotiator. Last year, an Israeli airstrike in Doha, Qatar, missed him but killed another son, Humam.

In the election of the Shura Council, al-Hayya prevailed against Khaled Mashal. The long-time head of the Hamas politburo from the West Bank is considered more pragmatic.

Nevertheless, al-Hayya could prove to be a useful channel of communication with the U.S. government. During negotiations, al-Hayya and Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff met in Egypt. According to Witkoff, they exchanged stories about their deceased sons. Witkoff's son died of a drug overdose in 2011. Additionally, al-Hayya maintains good contacts in Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, where the organization is very active economically.

Hardly Any Expected Ideological Change

Currently, the implementation of U.S. President Donald Trump's 20-point plan for the Gaza Strip is stalled. Hamas rejects its disarmament, while Israel bombs the area almost daily and steadily expands its control.

Ideologically, however, little change is to be expected with al-Hayya. He is close to the Qassam Brigades—the armed wing of Hamas in the Gaza Strip—and is likely to hold onto armed struggle and strengthen ties with Iran.

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