Hamas Announces Election of New Head for Its Political Bureau

SadaNews Economy - The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) announced today, Monday, the election of Khalil Al-Hayya as the new head of the political bureau of the movement, succeeding the martyr leader Yahya Sinwar.

The movement had announced in mid-May of last year the holding of an electoral round to choose a new head for the movement following Yahya Sinwar, who was martyred in October 2024.

At that time, the movement confirmed in a statement that the elections were not concluded in the first round, and accordingly, a second round would be held later, in accordance with the movement's regulations and bylaws.

Following the assassination of the former political bureau head Ismail Haniyeh in July 2024, Yahya Sinwar assumed leadership of the movement until his martyrdom in a clash with an Israeli force in the city of Rafah, southern Gaza.

After Sinwar's martyrdom, the movement adapted by forming a temporary leadership council consisting of five members to manage affairs of governance and negotiations in times of war.

Since then, the temporary leadership council has been chaired by leader Muhammad Darwish, who assumed the presidency of the Shura Council of the movement since late 2023, succeeding Osama al-Mazini, who was martyred on October 16 of the same year in an Israeli airstrike that targeted his home in Gaza days after the Al-Aqsa Flood operation.

Despite Israel's declared goal of dismantling Hamas's command and control apparatus, the structural nature of this transition highlights the deep organizational safety net of the movement.