Hamas is preparing to elect a new leader this month to replace Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by Israel in 2024, two sources within the group told Reuters. The selection comes at a critical moment for the militant Islamist organization, which has been weakened by two years of war triggered by its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and is facing mounting international pressure to disarm.
According to Reuters, Khalil Al-Hayya and Khaled Meshaal are the leading contenders. Both reside in Qatar and sit on a five-member council that has governed Hamas since Sinwar’s death. Sinwar himself had orchestrated the October 7 assault, while his predecessor, Ismail Haniyeh, was assassinated by Israel during a visit to Iran in 2024. The election process has reportedly begun, with the leader chosen via secret ballot by Hamas’ 50-member Shoura Council, which includes members from Gaza, the West Bank, and the Palestinian diaspora.
The sources also indicated that a deputy leader will be elected to replace Saleh Al-Arouri, who was killed in a 2024 Israeli airstrike in Lebanon. While some within Hamas have expressed a preference for extending collective leadership, the group is determined to complete the vote. Analysts view Meshaal as part of a pragmatic wing with strong ties to Sunni Arab countries, while Hayya, Hamas’ lead negotiator, is seen as aligned with the faction that has deepened relations with Iran.
Hamas faces some of the toughest challenges since its founding in 1987. Although fighting in Gaza has largely subsided following a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in October, Israel continues to control nearly half of the coastal enclave, sporadic attacks persist, and humanitarian conditions remain dire for the roughly two million residents. According to Gaza health authorities, more than 71,000 people were killed during the war, while Hamas-led militants were responsible for roughly 1,200 deaths in Israel and the abduction of 251 individuals during the October 7 cross-border assault.
The Trump administration’s ceasefire plan calls for Hamas to disarm and envisions Gaza being governed by a technocratic Palestinian administration overseen by an international Board of Peace. Hamas, however, has so far rejected disarmament, arguing that armed resistance is a matter for broader Palestinian debate and maintaining it would only relinquish weapons to a future Palestinian state, a prospect Israel has dismissed.
Both Meshaal and Hayya have been targeted by Israel in the past. Hayya survived an Israeli airstrike on Qatar in September, prompting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to apologize to Qatar’s emir in a three-way call with Trump. Meshaal, who previously led Hamas for nearly two decades, was the target of a 1997 assassination attempt by Israeli agents in Jordan. His relations with Iran have fluctuated over the years, particularly after distancing Hamas from Tehran’s ally Bashar al-Assad in 2012 during the Arab Spring.
Founded as the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas remains the main rival of the Palestinian Authority’s Fatah party led by 90-year-old President Mahmoud Abbas. Its charter calls for the destruction of Israel, although Hamas leaders have occasionally offered long-term truces in exchange for a viable Palestinian state on territories occupied since 1967—a proposal Israel has consistently rejected.
Analyst Reham Owda told Reuters that while differences between Hayya and Meshaal on the conflict with Israel are limited, Meshaal may have an advantage due to his ability to navigate international relations and help rebuild Hamas’ capabilities.
