{"id":2014,"date":"2026-07-20T18:08:30","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T18:08:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arabnewsmonitor.com\/2026\/07\/20\/who-is-khalil-al-hayya-hamass-new-leader\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T18:08:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T18:08:30","slug":"who-is-khalil-al-hayya-hamass-new-leader","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/?p=2014","title":{"rendered":"Who is Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas\u2019s new leader?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-tms-ad-status=\"idle\" data-tms-ad-container class=\"o-ad-container o-ad-container--banner-top o-ad-container--with-shimmer o-ad-container--with-background\">\n<div class=\"o-ad-container__content o-ad-container__content--report-enabled\">\n<div class=\"o-ad-container__label m-block-ad__label--report-enabled\">\n                    <span class=\"o-ad-container__label__text\">Advertising<\/span><br \/>\n                                            <button title=\"Report this ad\" class=\"o-ad-container__content__report-link\" data-tms-ad-report><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/button>\n                                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"o-ad-sponsoring\" data-tms-ad-type=\"sponsoring\" data-tms-ad-status=\"disabled\">\n<div class=\"o-ad-sponsoring__wrapper\">\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content t-content--article\" id=\"main-content\">\n<div class=\"t-content__above-sidebar\">\n<h1 class=\"t-content__title a-page-title\">Who is Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas\u2019s new leader?<\/h1>\n<div class=\"m-master-tag\">\n<div class=\"a-tag-section\">\n                                    Middle East\n                            <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"t-content__chapo\">\n                                        Hamas on Monday named Khalil al-Hayya, one of the founding members of the Palestinian militant group, as its new leader. Hayya is seen as a respected and pragmatic Hamas veteran \u201cwho doesn\u2019t get carried away easily\u201d. Last year, he survived an Israeli attack in Doha targeting the Hamas leadership which left several people dead, including one of his sons.                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__with-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"t-content__beside-sidebar\" data-article-content>\n<div class=\"t-content__metadata\">\n<div class=\"t-content__dates\">\n<p class=\"m-pub-dates\"><span class=\"m-pub-dates__date\">Issued on: <time datetime=\"2026-07-20T14:05:17+00:00\">20\/07\/2026 &#8211; 16:05<\/time><\/span><span class=\"m-pub-dates__date\">Modified: <time datetime=\"2026-07-20T15:09:56+00:00\">20\/07\/2026 &#8211; 17:09<\/time><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"a-reading-time\">\n    <span class=\"a-reading-time__icon\" title=\"Reading time\"><\/p>\n<p>    <\/span><br \/>\n    2 min    <span class=\"u-sr-only\">Reading time<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a-share-button\" data-root-share>\n<p>                            <span class=\"a-master-button__label\">Share<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__authors\">\n<div class=\"m-from-author\">\n                    <span class=\"m-from-author__by-label\"><br \/>\n                By:<br \/>\n            <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"m-author\">\n<div class=\"m-author__name\">\n                                                    <a href=\"\/en\/author\/france-24\/\" title=\"FRANCE 24\" class=\"m-author__name__title\"><br \/>\n                                FRANCE 24<br \/>\n                            <\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__main-media\">\n<figure class=\"m-item-image m-item-image--16x9 m-item-image--has-caption\">\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/34b4e08e-a547-11f0-9061-005056a97e36\/w:1024\/p:16x9\/AP25015795253955.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/34b4e08e-a547-11f0-9061-005056a97e36\/w:388\/p:16x9\/AP25015795253955.jpg 388w,https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/34b4e08e-a547-11f0-9061-005056a97e36\/w:720\/p:16x9\/AP25015795253955.jpg 720w,https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/34b4e08e-a547-11f0-9061-005056a97e36\/w:1024\/p:16x9\/AP25015795253955.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1076px) 100vw, 1012px\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" alt=\"Khalil al-Hayya sits down for an interview with the Associated Press in Istanbul, Turkey, on April 24, 2024\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"a-img \"><figcaption class=\"a-figcaption\">\n                File photo: Khalil al-Hayya sits down for an interview with the Associated Press in Istanbul, Turkey, on April 24, 2024.        \u00a9 Khalil Hamra, AP\/ File picture    <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__body u-clearfix\">\n<p>For months, veteran <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/hamas\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Hamas<\/a> leader <a href=\"https:\/\/ecfr.eu\/special\/mapping_palestinian_politics\/khalil_al_hayya\/\" target=\"_blank\">Khalil al-Hayya<\/a> spearheaded the group&#8217;s indirect <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/ceasefire\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">ceasefire<\/a> negotiations with arch-foe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/israel\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Israel<\/a> in an effort to halt the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/war-in-gaza\/\" target=\"_self\">war in Gaza<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>On Monday, the Palestinian Islamist movement named him as its new chief, favouring him over longtime leader <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Khaled-Meshaal\" target=\"_blank\">Khaled Meshaal<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Khalil al-Hayya was elected by an overwhelming majority,&#8221; a senior Hamas official said, adding that he is expected to formally assume the role next week.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The election process was conducted through a highly complex and secretive mechanism because of the difficult security situation and the occupation&#8217;s assassination of several political and military leaders,&#8221; another source in Hamas said.<\/p>\n<p>A former official from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/muslim-brotherhood\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Muslim Brotherhood<\/a> and one of the founders of Hamas, Hayya is viewed as a moderate, and will replace slain leader <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/yahya-sinwar\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Yahya Sinwar<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"a-read-more\"><span class=\"a-read-more__label\">Read more<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/middle-east\/20241017-hamas-leader-yahya-sinwar-killed-gaza-mastermind-october-7-attacks-israel\" target=\"_self\" class=\"a-read-more__link\">Death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a mastermind of the October 7 attacks<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Along with Meshaal, he survived <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/live-news\/20250909-israeli-military-says-it-targeted-hamas-leadership-after-blasts-heard-in-qatari-capital-doha\" target=\"_self\">an Israeli assassination attempt in Doha in September 2025<\/a> that left several dead, including one of his sons and his chief of staff.<\/p>\n<p>The Qatari capital serves as an informal base for Hamas, from which it can cultivate ties with the Arab and Islamic world.<\/p>\n<p>From <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/qatar\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Qatar<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/turkey\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Turkey<\/a>, the tall and bearded Hayya will lead Hamas, including in Gaza, where the movement still controls large swaths of the territory along with a security apparatus comprising thousands of fighters.<\/p>\n<p>Hayya is known to have good relations with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/lebanon\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Lebanon<\/a>&#8216;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/hezbollah\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Hezbollah<\/a>, with Arab countries such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/qatar\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Qatar<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/egypt\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Egypt<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/algeria\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Algeria<\/a>, as well as with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/iran\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Iran<\/a>, his movement&#8217;s main financial and military backer, a Hamas official close to him told AFP.<\/p>\n<h2>Pragmatic and conservative<\/h2>\n<p>The official highlighted Hayya&#8217;s pragmatic and conversative temperament.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He doesn&#8217;t get carried away easily, and is respected by all members of the political bureau as well as by military commanders,&#8221; the official said.<\/p>\n<p>Hayya was raised in a religious and conservative family in Gaza, before studying at the territory&#8217;s Islamic University.<\/p>\n<p>He then completed a master&#8217;s degree in Jordan, followed by a doctorate in Islamic law in Sudan.<\/p>\n<p>Hayya spent three years in Israeli prisons in the late 1990s and survived two other assassination attempts, in 2007 and in 2014.<\/p>\n<p>Hayya, who has repeatedly stressed the importance of armed struggle, lost several family members in Israeli military operations, including one that targeted his house in the northern <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/gaza-strip\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Gaza Strip<\/a> in 2007, leaving his wife and three of his children dead.<\/p>\n<p>In 2006, Hayya headed Hamas&#8217;s parliamentary bloc, which had just won elections. The subsequent months of political and administrative discord marked the beginning of the schism between the Islamist movement and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/fatah\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Fatah<\/a>, the party of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.<\/p>\n<p>Hayya&#8217;s predecessor Sinwar, whom Israel accused of being one of the principal architects of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/october-7-attacks\/\" target=\"_self\">October 7, 2023 attack<\/a>, was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza a year later.<\/p>\n<p>Since his death, Hamas has been led by a five-member leadership council headed by senior official Mohammed Darwish.<\/p>\n<p>A senior Hamas official told AFP that the council would be dissolved, with its members submitting their resignations to the group&#8217;s Shura Council.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The political bureau will meet in Istanbul within days to form committees and begin restructuring Hamas&#8217;s leadership bodies,&#8221; the official said.<\/p>\n<p><em>(FRANCE 24 with AFP)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"o-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"o-sidebar__aside\">\n<div data-tms-ad-status=\"idle\" data-tms-ad-container class=\"o-ad-container o-ad-container--box o-ad-container--with-shimmer\">\n<div class=\"o-ad-container__content o-ad-container__content--report-enabled\">\n<div class=\"o-ad-container__label m-block-ad__label--report-enabled\">\n                    <span class=\"o-ad-container__label__text\">Advertising<\/span><br \/>\n                                            <button title=\"Report this ad\" class=\"o-ad-container__content__report-link\" data-tms-ad-report><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/button>\n                                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__tags t-content__below-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"m-section-title m-section-title--small\">Keywords for this article<\/div>\n<ul class=\"m-tags-list\">\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/hamas\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"Hamas\">    Hamas<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/israeli-palestinian-conflict\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"Israeli-Palestinian conflict\">    Israeli-Palestinian conflict<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/israel\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"Israel\">    Israel<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/gaza-strip\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"Gaza Strip\">    Gaza Strip<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/diplomacy\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"diplomacy\">    diplomacy<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/war-in-gaza\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"War in Gaza\">    War in Gaza<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Advertising Who is Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas\u2019s new leader? Middle East Hamas on Monday named Khalil&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2015,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2014"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2014\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}