Khalil Al-Hayya Elected as New Hamas Leader
The Hamas group, based in the Gaza Strip, has announced Khalil Al-Hayya as its new leader. Hayya was chosen to replace the late Yahya Sinwar, who was killed in fighting against Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip in October 2024.
Hayya’s election as the new leader, as reported by Reuters and Anadolu Agency on Tuesday (21 July 2026), was announced directly by Hamas in a brief statement released on Monday (20 July) local time. Analysts see the move as signalling a harder stance from the group towards calls for disarmament.
Hamas’s brief statement said that Hayya had been “elected as head of the movement’s political bureau”, replacing the late Sinwar.
Hayya, who previously served as Hamas’s exiled leader for the Gaza region and as the group’s chief negotiator, has become an increasingly central figure in the Hamas leadership since the deaths of Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in an attack in Iran in July 2024.
He is regarded as holding a harder line than Khaled Meshaal, the head of Hamas’s office in exile and the other strong candidate for the leadership position.
Hayya was among the senior Hamas officials targeted by an Israeli attack in Doha, Qatar, where he is based.
Following Sinwar’s death, Hamas relied on a five-member high council for its leadership, which included Hayya and Meshaal, along with three other senior officials.
The selection of a new Hamas leader was a lengthy process that began in January. The process was interrupted by the war between Iran and the United States (US) and Israel, then the fighting in Lebanon between Hezbollah and the Israeli military, as well as Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza.
The election of the Hamas leader was carried out by a 50-member council, comprising Hamas members in Gaza, in the West Bank, including those held in Israeli prisons, and those living in exile.
Election of New Hamas Leader Seen as a Message of Resistance
Palestinian political analyst Reham Owda believes Hayya’s election carries a number of specific messages.
She said the selection of the new leader signals that Hamas remains committed to armed struggle, rejects disarmament under any circumstances, and intends to rebuild its military strength, whilst maintaining its alliance with Iran and the Axis of Resistance.
“This indicates that negotiations related to disarmament are highly likely to face significant difficulties and obstacles,” Owda told Reuters.
The Gaza peace plan initiated by US President Donald Trump requires Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip. However, talks between Hamas, the mediators — Egypt, Qatar and Turkey — and envoys of the peace council formed by Trump have so far failed to reach a comprehensive agreement to end the conflict.