New Hamas Leader Khalil al-Hayya Vows Gaza Reconstruction in First Speech

New Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya delivered his first televised speech to the Palestinian people, promising to rebuild the Gaza Strip, alleviate the suffering of its residents, free political prisoners in Israel, and unite Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem into one independent Palestinian state. Appearing in a suit and open-collared shirt against a backdrop of Palestinian and Hamas flags, al-Hayya spoke via the Hamas-owned Al-Aqsa TV channel on Wednesday (22/7) local time. He asserted that his group would resist all attempts to expel Palestinians from Gaza and expressed gratitude to countries working to stop the war. Al-Hayya was elected by the General Shura Council on Monday (20/7) as the new head of Hamas’s political bureau, defeating former political leader Khaled Meshaal in a second-round vote. He replaces Yahya Sinwar, who was killed during an Israeli military operation in Gaza in 2024. In his speech, al-Hayya outlined several crucial priorities for the group. He stated that Hamas’s primary goal is the realisation of a Palestinian state encompassing Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, with East Jerusalem as its capital. He pledged that Hamas would work diligently to restore a decent life for the people of Gaza, emphasising that reconstruction is an inherent right of the Palestinian people and must not be linked to any political concessions. He also vowed to work towards freeing Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Al-Hayya warned the international community that stability in the Middle East will never be achieved without justice for the Palestinian people. He expressed appreciation to Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye for their mediation efforts to halt the bloodshed in Gaza but made no mention of the United States’ role. He urged sponsoring nations to exert real pressure on the Israeli occupation government to comply with the US-backed ceasefire terms agreed upon in October 2025, which he claimed Israel has been ignoring.