Who is Khalil al-Hayya, the new political leader of Hamas? | | Israel-Palestine War News

The Palestinian group Hamas is he announced the appointment of Khalil al-Hayya as the new head of his political office.

Al-Hayya’s election on Monday follows the assassination of former leader, Yahya Sinwarand Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip in 2024. Sinwar took office after the assassination of Israel’s political leader. Ismail Haniyeh at the beginning of that year. Al-Hayya himself survived an Israeli assassination attempt in Qatar last year.

His appointment took place later final vote In the General Shura Council against the former political leader Khaled Meshaal, no one got the 50% required in addition to the majority of people who voted in the past.

The appointment of al-Hayya, a former leader of the group that was expelled from Gaza, is in line with Hamas’s 2021 plan which calls for the top leadership to reflect its main constituents – the other two being the West Bank and the diaspora.

Al-Hayya, who was part of a five-man interim government set up at the end of 2024 to oversee the war, will take over the remainder of the election, which ends in 2027.

The roots of education are early intervention

Born in Gaza City on November 5, 1960, al-Hayya grew up in a conservative family that was threatened by 1967 Arab-Israeli war and the occupation of Israel afterwards. Witnessing the war in his family’s home in Gaza and the arrest of his relatives as a child sparked his interest in politics.

In March 1980, an important meeting with the founder of Hamas, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, drew him into the protest movement. Al-Hayya pursued advanced Islamic studies, earning a bachelor’s degree from the Islamic University of Gaza in 1983, a master’s degree from the University of Jordan in 1986, and a doctorate in hadith science from Sudan in 1997.

He later became director of student affairs at the Islamic University of Gaza and joined the Palestinian Scholars Association. The founder of Hamas in 1987, al-Hayya was repeatedly arrested by Israeli forces during the Palestinian uprising known as the first Intifada in the late 1980s, suffering severe torture at the time of his arrest.

In 2006, he officially entered politics, winning a seat in the Palestinian Legislative Council and leading the Hamas parliamentary group.

Chief negotiator and diplomat

Over the past two decades, al-Hayya has held important positions, including Hamas’s deputy leader in Gaza and head of its Arab-Islamic relations office.

He played a major role in the group’s political activities, leading the delegation during the cease-fire after Israel’s wars in Gaza in 2012 and 2014.

Following the spread of a war to destroy the nation of Israel in October 2023, al-Hayya served as Hamas’s main facilitator for the ban on direct killings and exchange negotiations pursued by Qatar and Egypt.

It operates mainly from Qatar, which he started conducting The political organization of Hamas in 2012 after what Qatari officials said were requests from the United States, allowed him to cross the border into Gaza and coordinate diplomatic activities throughout the region. He has also made significant political moves, including leading a delegation to Lebanon in November 2023 to meet with the head of Hezbollah. Hassan Nasrallahand survived a drone strike in January 2024 in Beirut that killed deputy political chief Saleh al-Arouri.

Surviving the slaughter

Al-Hayya’s political journey has been marked by repeated assassination attempts on Israel and great personal loss. In May 2007, an Israeli plane attacked his family home and killed 7 family members, including his two brothers.

In 2008, his son Hamza, a member of the Qassam Brigades – the armed group of Hamas – was killed in a drone attack.

During the 2014 war, an Israeli attack killed his eldest son Osama, his wife and their three children. In September 2025, al-Hayya survived Israeli attack on a residential building The capital of Qatar, Doha, which killed his son Humam, the head of his office Jihad Labad, three guards and a Qatari security guard.

Earlier this year, another son, Azzam, died of injuries It was based on Israeli airstrikes in May in Gaza City in Daraj.

A wartime election

Despite the loss of several family members in successive conflicts, al-Hayya remained a key figure in Hamas politics, leading to his appointment as the group’s head almost three years before the start of Israel’s latest war that has killed more than 73,000 people.

The decision to hold a referendum under the ongoing military operation shows “the depth of Hamas”, according to Palestinian political analyst Abdullah Aqrabawi.

“Instead of choosing people quickly or by consensus… the group has chosen a voting method,” Aqrabawi said, noting that the contested race showed a good internal debate about the direction of the group.

Under Hamas’ constitution, the responsibility for choosing the head of a political office falls to the General Shura Council, not through a direct vote.

“In times of crisis, existing strategies and backup plans only lead to leadership and leadership,” said Wissam Afifa, a Palestinian political analyst.