Hamas names Khalil al-Hayya as new leader after run-off with Khaled Meshaal

play Live Sign upShow navigation menuNavigation menuNewsShow more news sectionsAfricaAsiaUS & CanadaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia PacificWorld CupMiddle EastExplainedOpinionVideoMoreShow more sectionsFeaturesEconomySportHuman RightsClimate CrisisInvestigationsInteractivesIn PicturesScience & TechnologyPodcastsTravelSponsored Contentplay Live Click here to searchsearchSign upNavigation menucaret-leftTrendingAndy Burnham becomes UK PMUS-Israel war on IranWorld Cup 2026Tracking Israel's ceasefire violationsDonald Trumpcaret-rightDEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY, News|HamasHamas names Khalil al-Hayya as new leader after run-off with Khaled MeshaalAl-Hayya was previously one of the five-member leadership council after previous Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar was killed. xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoKhalil al-Hayya, a high-ranking Hamas official who has been named the group's new leader [Khalil Hamra/AP Photo]Published On 20 Jul 202620 Jul 2026Hamas has named Khalil al-Hayya as its new leader, succeeding Yahya Sinwar who was killed by the Israeli army in October 2024. Al-Hayya, a former deputy chairman of the Palestinian group and one of five members of its leadership council, won an internal ballot in a run-off against former Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal, Hamas said in a statement on Monday. Al-Hayya rose in importance after the killings in 2024 of top Hamas leaders Sinwar and military commander Mohammed Deif in Gaza, and Ismail Haniyeh who was assassinated during a visit to Tehran the same year. With those losses, al-Hayya became one of five leaders steering Hamas’s leadership council. The leadership council was the temporary, five-member ruling committee formed in late 2024 to govern the group during the war. Born in the Gaza Strip in 1960, al-Hayya has been part of Hamas since it was established in 1987. He became especially important on the diplomatic front, based mainly in Qatar, which emerged as the main hub for mediation with other countries, including Israel, Egypt, and the United States. Operating outside Gaza allowed him to travel and coordinate between neighbouring countries without the constraints of the Israeli blockade on Gaza. Al-Hayya has also led Hamas’s delegations in mediated talks with Israel to try to secure a Gaza ceasefire deal. Al-Hayya’s family has suffered as a result of Israeli attacks. During the 2014 war, an Israeli strike destroyed the house of his eldest son, Osama, killing him, his wife, and three of their children. In September last year, an Israeli attack on a residential complex in central Doha, Qatar, killed five people including his son Humam. Advertisement AboutAboutShow moreAbout UsCode of EthicsTerms and ConditionsEU/EEA Regulatory NoticePrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyCookie PreferencesAccessibility StatementSitemapWork for usConnectConnectShow moreContact UsUser Accounts HelpAdvertise with usStay ConnectedNewslettersChannel FinderTV SchedulePodcastsSubmit a TipPaid Partner ContentOur ChannelsOur ChannelsShow moreAl Jazeera ArabicAl Jazeera EnglishAl Jazeera Investigative UnitAl Jazeera MubasherAl Jazeera DocumentaryAl Jazeera BalkansAJ+Our NetworkOur NetworkShow moreAl Jazeera Centre for StudiesAl Jazeera Media InstituteLearn ArabicAl Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human RightsAl Jazeera ForumAl Jazeera Hotel PartnersFollow Al Jazeera English: