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Khalil al-Hayya has been appointed as the new leader of Hamas, ending nearly two years of the group’s absence.
After the assassination of former commander Yahya Sinwar in October 2024, Hamas was led by a five-member leadership council, of which al-Hayya was a member.
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His main challenger for the presidency this week was Khaled Meshaal, the former head of the political organization. Al-Hayya defeated Meshaal by just one vote, winning 35 out of 69 votes.
His nomination would provide one US leader to challenge him, experts say.
Al-Hayya, who is known as an academic, is said to have participated in direct talks in Gaza with US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff last October.
Although he appears to be aligned with Iran, his election success and the rapport he established with Witkoff in negotiations could lead to more US-led talks on the future of Gaza.
“He seems to be a permanent part of the Axis of Resistance called Iran, but he is open to negotiations and diplomatic methods.” For example, my understanding is that Witkoff was very willing to talk to al-Hayya directly,” said Muhammad Shehada, a visiting fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations, Gazan African Relations and a FR.
“He is also known within Hamas as the ‘father of the four martyrs,’ referring to the two children who were killed before October 7, one who was killed during Israel’s attack on Doha, while discussing the Witkoff proposal (in September 2025), and one who was killed afterwards.
Their deaths are linked to Witkoff, whose son died at age 22 in 2011, Shehada said.
Witkoff approved the deal during a 60 Minutes interview with CBS Newswhere the envoy said he offered his condolences to Al-Hayya.
He said: “We told him our condolences for the death of his son.
‘Continuity candidate’
Born and raised in Gaza, al-Hajja he served as the head of a group that was expelled from Gaza and the main negotiator for a cease-fire and prisoner exchange during the ongoing Israeli occupation of the camp.
His history inside Hamas it intensified following the assassination of Sinwar and former political leader Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran in July 2024.
Al-Hayya was among the leaders Israeli attack on Doha last year.
Hugh Lovatt, ECFR’s senior partner, said al-Hayya’s decision would not fundamentally change the situation within the group.
“He is very conservative. He was the deputy head of Gaza under Sinwar and has been close to the senior leadership for some time,” Hugh Lovatt, director of policy at ECFR, said. “Despite being described as tough and close to Iran, both come with serious caveats.”
Al-Hayya is seen as a politically useful figure, who could lead Hamas on the same path it has followed since the Gaza ceasefire in October 2025. even though Israel repeatedly violates this agreement.
“There are strong figures in this group and al-Hayya has proven himself to be an expert throughout the ceasefire with Israel,” Lovatt said.
“In the same way, with Iran, there are many supporters in this group and Hamas has been showing its support between the Arab countries and Tehran, so there is nothing to show that Hamas is about to be controlled by Iran.”
Hamas has maintained its position leadership presence in Gaza, where al-Hayya says he has a reputation, despite the fact that the area has been nearly destroyed by the Israeli war and the killing of at least 72,000 Palestinians.
Although Hamas’s military activities have been severely curtailed due to Israel’s ongoing airstrikes, the group continues to oversee basic humanitarian activities, including health services and emergency rescue operations in the Strip.
“The appointment sends two bold messages: one is that Hamas’s structure and tactics are still intact and functioning effectively despite all the challenges, including the assassination of its political and military leadership,” said Khaled al-Hroub, a resident professor at Northwestern University in Qatar. “The second is that Gaza still enjoys the lion’s share of the decision-making process. This does not mean that politics is strict, but it shows that Gaza is very important.”
