Hamas Nears Completion of Internal Elections for Political Bureau Chief
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, informed sources within the Hamas movement have indicated that the organization is currently managed by a five-member council serving as interim replacements for the Political Bureau Chief. Hamas had previously concluded the election of a new Shura Council, the consultative body and liaison between the Political Bureau and the movement’s leadership.
Under the movement’s internal bylaws, a delegation comprising over eighty members of the General Council elects the movement’s leader and the members of the Political Bureau. These councils are selected every four years across Hamas’s three operational regions: the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and areas outside of Palestine.
A Hamas official informed Agence France-Presse that internal elections have concluded in all three regions, and the final phase to select the Political Bureau Chief has commenced. The official added that the primary contest is between Khaled Meshaal and Khalil Al-Hayya, with Hamas expected to issue an official statement shortly after the new chief’s election, potentially during the month of Ramadan.
Khaled Meshaal, born in 1956 in the West Bank, previously served as the head of Hamas’s Political Bureau and is known for his pragmatic approach. Khalil Al-Hayya, born in 1960 in Gaza, currently heads the movement in the Gaza Strip and enjoys the support of Hamas’s military wing in the enclave.
Following the martyrdom of Ismail Haniyeh in July 2024 and subsequently Yahya Sinwar in October of the same year, Hamas formed a temporary five-member leadership council. Israel had identified Sinwar as the architect of the October 7, 2023 attacks.
Two sources within Hamas confirmed that the incoming chief will lead the Political Bureau for an exceptional one-year term, after which new elections will be held for four-year leadership structures and frameworks. Further details regarding the number of voters or the election mechanism under Hamas’s current circumstances have not been released.
