Khalil al-Hayya, a veteran Hamas leader, has been elected as the new head of the Palestinian group’s political bureau, succeeding Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza last year. Long regarded as one of Hamas’s most influential leaders abroad, al-Hayya has played a central role in ceasefire negotiations with Israel and in shaping the group’s regional alliances.
His elevation comes at a critical time for Hamas as it seeks to rebuild its leadership after the deaths of several top officials during the Gaza war.
Veteran Hamas leader
Born in 1960 in the Gaza Strip, al-Hayya has been part of Hamas since its founding in 1987. Before that, he was associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist movement from which Hamas emerged.
Over the decades, he became one of the group’s most prominent political figures, serving in Gaza before relocating to Qatar, where much of Hamas’s external leadership has been based.
Chief negotiator in ceasefire talks
Al-Hayya has been Hamas’s lead negotiator in indirect ceasefire and hostage-release talks with Israel, working alongside mediators from Qatar, Egypt and the United States.
He was heavily involved in negotiations throughout the Gaza war that began after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. He also played a key role in previous efforts to broker truces, including helping end the 2014 Gaza conflict.
His experience in diplomacy has made him one of Hamas’s most internationally visible political leaders.
Survived assassination attempts
Israel has repeatedly targeted senior Hamas leaders, and al-Hayya has survived multiple attacks.
An Israeli strike on his family home in Gaza in 2007 killed several relatives. During later conflicts, he lost multiple family members, including sons and grandchildren.
In September last year, he survived an Israeli strike in Doha, Qatar, that targeted Hamas leaders. One of his sons was reportedly killed in the attack.
Close ties with Iran
Al-Hayya is widely regarded as having strong ties with Iran, Hamas’s main regional backer and a key source of military and financial support.
He frequently represented Hamas in Tehran and accompanied former political chief Ismail Haniyeh during his final visit to Iran before Haniyeh was killed in an Israeli strike in 2024.
He also helped restore Hamas’s relationship with Syria in 2022, leading a delegation to Damascus to repair ties with then-president Bashar al-Assad after years of estrangement.
Rise to Hamas leadership
Following the deaths of several senior Hamas figures—including Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar—al-Hayya’s influence steadily grew.
After Sinwar’s death, Hamas was temporarily led by a five-member leadership council headed by Mohammed Darwish. The movement has now elected al-Hayya as its new political chief, with Hamas officials saying he won by an overwhelming majority, defeating former leader Khaled Meshaal.
The election was conducted under strict secrecy because of ongoing Israeli operations targeting Hamas’s political and military leadership.
