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Who Remains in Hamas’ Political Bureau after Numerous Killings?

From right to left: Rouhi Mushtaha, Saleh al-Arouri, Ismail Haniyeh, Khaled Meshaal, and Khalil al-Hayya (Hamas-affiliated media)
From right to left: Rouhi Mushtaha, Saleh al-Arouri, Ismail Haniyeh, Khaled Meshaal, and Khalil al-Hayya (Hamas-affiliated media)
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Who Remains in Hamas’ Political Bureau after Numerous Killings?

From right to left: Rouhi Mushtaha, Saleh al-Arouri, Ismail Haniyeh, Khaled Meshaal, and Khalil al-Hayya (Hamas-affiliated media)
From right to left: Rouhi Mushtaha, Saleh al-Arouri, Ismail Haniyeh, Khaled Meshaal, and Khalil al-Hayya (Hamas-affiliated media)

Israel has intensified assassinations targeting senior members of Hamas' political bureau in Gaza, posing a major challenge for the group to fill organizational gaps amid ongoing security pressures and relentless Israeli pursuit.

This week, Israel killed two prominent Hamas political leaders in Gaza—Salah al-Bardawil and Ismail Barhoum—bringing the total number of slain bureau members to five since the Israeli military resumed its bombardment of the enclave last Tuesday.

Before Bardawil and Barhoum were killed within 24 hours in an airstrike on Khan Younis in southern Gaza, three other political bureau members—Mohammed al-Jamassi, Issam al-Da’alis, and Yasser Harb—were assassinated in separate attacks carried out simultaneously when Israel resumed its offensive on March 18.
Bardawil was part of Hamas' National Relations Office, while Barhoum oversaw financial affairs. Jamassi served in the legal department and held a general membership position. Da’alis, a Gaza-based member, initially led the economic department before managing governmental affairs. Harb was part of the Gaza office, responsible for organizational administration in the northern Gaza Strip.
High-Profile Assassinations
At the start of Israel’s military campaign following the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack, Israeli forces struggled to locate senior Hamas leaders. However, after several months, Israel launched a series of targeted assassinations, some occurring in rapid succession.
Among the most prominent figures killed was Hamas’ political chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran in July 2024. His deputy, Saleh al-Arouri, was killed in Beirut in January of the same year.
Yahya Sinwar, who succeeded Haniyeh as Hamas’ overall leader after serving as the group’s political chief in Gaza, was killed during clashes with Israeli forces in Rafah’s Tel al-Sultan neighborhood on October 16, 2024. Israeli forces only identified him after his death.
Before the recent wave of killings, Israel had already targeted several high-ranking Hamas figures. Zakaria Abu Maamar and Jawad Abu Shamala were killed on October 10, 2023—just three days after Hamas' attack on Israeli towns near Gaza. Both died in an Israeli airstrike on a building in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
Abu Maamar headed the National Relations Office within Hamas’ political bureau in Gaza and was also a member of the group's general bureau. Abu Shamala, a political bureau member in Gaza, handled security affairs.
On October 19, Israel assassinated Jamila Al-Shanti, a member of both the political bureau in Gaza and the general bureau, in an airstrike north of Gaza City. On the same day, Osama al-Muzaini, a Gaza-based political bureau member and head of the group’s Shura Council in the enclave, was killed when an Israeli strike hit an apartment in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood.
In March 2024, Israel killed Marwan Issa, a senior Hamas political bureau member, in an airstrike targeting a tunnel in Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
Issa, who reportedly had cancer, was a key link between Hamas’ political and military wings, serving as deputy commander of the group’s armed branch, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
In August 2024, Israel assassinated Rouhi Mushtaha and Samih al-Sarraj, both members of Hamas' political bureau in Gaza, in an airstrike on a tunnel in the industrial zone south of Gaza City.
Hamas Political Bureau Structure
Hamas traditionally elects members to a general political bureau and separate regional bureaus for Gaza, the West Bank, and abroad. Some members serve in both their regional bureau and the general bureau, depending on the votes they receive.
In previous years, the general political bureau comprised 17 members, but this number increased to 24 during the last two election cycles.
Each region maintains at least 10 representatives, though the number can vary based on field conditions, particularly in the West Bank.
Following the recent assassinations, the remaining general political bureau members from Gaza include Khalil al-Hayya, Nizar Awadallah, Mahmoud al-Zahar, Ghazi Hamad, Fathi Hammad, and Suhail al-Hindi.
Gaza’s regional bureau still includes Ibrahim Sabra and Kamal Abu Aoun.
Among the remaining senior members of the Gaza-based political bureau, Hayya, Awadallah, Hamad, Hammad, and al-Hindi have been living outside Gaza since before the start of the Israeli war.
Other prominent figures in the general political bureau include Khaled Meshaal, Musa Abu Marzouk, Mohammad Nazzal, Izzat al-Rishq, Zaher Jabarin, Mahmoud Mardawi, and other unnamed individuals whose identities Hamas keeps confidential for security reasons.
The political bureau is the highest executive body within Hamas, responsible for making final decisions within the movement. Critical decisions are made by consensus between the political bureau and the Shura Council, a body composed of 50 members.

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Arab World

Iraqi Politicians Sentenced to Prison in Oil Corruption Case

A scene from a session of Iraq's parliament (Social media)
A scene from a session of Iraq's parliament (Social media)
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Iraqi Politicians Sentenced to Prison in Oil Corruption Case

A scene from a session of Iraq's parliament (Social media)
A scene from a session of Iraq's parliament (Social media)

Iraq's judiciary announced Thursday that two senior Sunni politicians had been sentenced to prison for profiting from contracts involving oil refinery companies, as part of a government anti-corruption campaign launched in June.

Muthanna al-Samarrai, leader of Iraq's second-largest Sunni political alliance, was sentenced to six years in prison, while lawmaker Ziad al-Janabi, former chairman of parliament's Integrity Committee, received a five-year sentence.

The Federal Commission of Integrity said in a statement that the two were convicted of benefiting from contracts involving the North and South Refineries companies.

The court also ordered Samarrai to repay 30 billion Iraqi dinars, which the commission said he had obtained by acting as an intermediary in the contracts. Janabi was ordered to return 4 billion dinars that he had gained from the same deals, according to the statement.

Samarrai was arrested on June 28, 2026, in a sweeping crackdown on current and former lawmakers and officials accused of corruption. Local media dubbed the operation "Dawn Assault."

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi launched the campaign after taking office in May, pledging to pursue those implicated in corruption. But the crackdown later lost momentum amid political pressure, according to local media reports.

The refinery case centers partly on Adnan al-Jumaili, a former Oil Ministry official, and allegations of illicit benefits and commissions from government contracts.

Samarrai was prosecuted under Article 319 of Iraq's Penal Code, which prohibits public employees and those entrusted with public duties from benefiting, directly or indirectly, from contracts or projects tied to their official responsibilities.

The rulings follow a string of judicial actions against current and former lawmakers and officials, including Alia Nassif, Talal al-Zobaie, Mohammed al-Karbouli, Baha al-Nouri, Hassan al-Khafaji, Bushra al-Qaisi and Hind al-Abbasi, as well as Oil Ministry officials.

Several wanted officials remain at large, according to available information. Among them is former Labor and Social Affairs Minister Ahmed al-Asadi, who previously led an armed faction within the Popular Mobilization Forces.

Crackdown falls short, former anti-graft chief says

Mousa Faraj, a former head of Iraq's Federal Commission of Integrity, said al-Zaidi's campaign marked progress from earlier periods when government decisions helped shield corrupt officials or obstruct oversight bodies and the judiciary.

The campaign had delivered results in the refinery corruption case, drawing on testimony provided by Jumaili to judicial authorities, and had made headway in illicit enrichment investigations, Faraj said.

But he warned that the crackdown remained too narrow, leaving major corruption cases involving currency transactions, real estate, oil smuggling and ghost employees largely outside its reach.

Faraj told Asharq Al-Awsat that the campaign had also failed to hold political blocs accountable for officials accused of corruption, despite their influence and the benefits they derived from some of those implicated.

He said the campaign's effectiveness would hinge on widening investigations, tackling major corruption cases and preventing political blocs from simply replacing convicted members with other candidates from their ranks.

Political power-sharing drives up investment costs

Corruption continues to weigh on Iraq's economy, driving up business costs, obstructing development and discouraging domestic investment, said Nabil al-Marsoumi, an economics professor at the University of Basra.

Marsoumi told Asharq Al-Awsat that the crackdown was a positive step, citing the detention of prominent figures and the recovery of substantial public funds. But he said it had yet to reach everyone involved.

Lasting progress, he said, would require pursuing corruption across all levels of government and cutting off its sources, particularly the system of partisan and political power-sharing.

He also called for stronger, more independent oversight institutions capable of carrying out their duties.

Prison sentences remain open to appeal

Legal expert Saif al-Saadi said both convictions rested on Article 319 of Iraq's Penal Code, which penalizes public employees and those entrusted with public duties who profit, directly or through intermediaries, from contracts or projects they help prepare, award, execute or oversee, or receive commissions linked to them.

The orders to repay the money were based on the amended Federal Commission of Integrity and Illicit Gains Law No. 30 of 2011, particularly Article 19, Saadi told Asharq Al-Awsat.

He said criminal court verdicts could be challenged before the Federal Court of Cassation within 30 days of the ruling.

If upheld, the sentences would become final, allowing the remaining legal procedures to proceed.

Any vacancies left by Samarrai and Janabi in parliament would be governed by Iraq's Law on the Replacement of Members of Parliament once the verdicts became final and the necessary legal requirements were met, Saadi said.

Arab World

Aoun Says No Progress Made in Talks, Berri Warns Against Ending UNIFIL Mission

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Reem Alabali-Radovan (Lebanese Presidency)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Reem Alabali-Radovan (Lebanese Presidency)
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Aoun Says No Progress Made in Talks, Berri Warns Against Ending UNIFIL Mission

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Reem Alabali-Radovan (Lebanese Presidency)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Reem Alabali-Radovan (Lebanese Presidency)

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reaffirmed Lebanon's commitment to diplomatic and negotiated solutions to disputes, saying that negotiations with Israel have yet to yield the desired progress. Meanwhile, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri warned of the dangers of ending the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon before UN Security Council Resolution 1701 is fully implemented and Israeli occupation ends completely.

The two leaders made their remarks during separate meetings with German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Reem Alabali-Radovan, who also met Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Beirut.

The meetings focused on developments in Lebanon and the wider region, ways to strengthen cooperation between Lebanon and Germany, and European support for Lebanese institutions.

Aoun: Diplomacy, not military force, key to stability

Aoun said Lebanon remained committed to diplomacy and negotiations to resolve conflicts, arguing that wars had failed to achieve their intended goals and that military force alone could not secure lasting stability.

He called for an end to Israeli attacks and compliance with existing agreements, warning that continued military operations and strikes on civilian areas and infrastructure were deepening suffering and undermining efforts to restore stability.

Residents of southern Lebanon, he said, needed security and reassurance to return to their normal lives.

Aoun: No breakthrough in talks with Israel

Aoun said Lebanon had put four key issues on the negotiating table: a ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal, border demarcation and prisoners. But the progress Beirut sought had yet to materialize, he said.

Aoun stressed that the Lebanese state and army were ready to address security concerns through official channels and established coordination mechanisms rather than military action.

He urged Europe to step up support for the Lebanese army, citing its role in maintaining stability, fighting terrorism and drug trafficking, securing borders and combating irregular migration.

Backing Lebanon's military and security institutions, he said, was a direct investment in regional stability that would also bolster European security, given the close ties across the Mediterranean.

On economic reforms, Aoun said Lebanon was pressing ahead with the International Monetary Fund and other international financial institutions to complete reforms and rebuild confidence in its economy.

He also voiced hope that Germany would help finance reconstruction, particularly through any framework developed under World Bank leadership in coordination with the Lebanese government.

Aoun called for a gradual shift from emergency aid toward a lasting economic and development partnership.

Berri warns against UNIFIL withdrawal before full implementation of Resolution 1701

Berri, meeting Alabali-Radovan alongside German Ambassador Thomas Seidel, raised concerns over continued Israeli attacks and the destruction of villages and towns in southern Lebanon.

He accused Israel of disregarding international resolutions, particularly UN Security Council Resolution 1701, as well as agreements reached in 2024 and the latest framework agreement, both brokered by the United States.

With the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) set to expire at the end of the year, Berri warned against ending its mission before Resolution 1701 is fully implemented and Israeli occupation ends completely.

He also called for stronger ties between Lebanon, Germany and the European Union, alongside continued support for the Lebanese army.

Salam seeks support for southern Lebanon's recovery

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam thanked Germany for its continued support, stressing the need to help southern Lebanon recover and rebuild.

He also called for assistance to enable displaced residents to return to their villages and strengthen the Lebanese state's capabilities.

Germany backs reforms, warns against security vacuum in south

Alabali-Radovan reaffirmed Germany's support for Lebanon's reform efforts, stronger state institutions and better living conditions, particularly for those hardest hit by the country's crisis.

Speaking after meeting Aoun at the presidential palace, she said Berlin was seeing progress in the Lebanese government's reforms and would continue supporting its institutions.

German cooperation, she said, would focus on better governance and transparency, economic growth, vocational training and rebuilding infrastructure in affected areas.

On UNIFIL's future, she said Germany was closely monitoring developments and warned against leaving a vacuum.

"We are monitoring the situation closely, and of course there must be no vacuum in this regard," she said.

Alabali-Radovan also pledged continued German backing for the Lebanese army, calling it a cornerstone of national stability.

"Germany wants to support the Lebanese army because it is indeed a fundamental pillar of the country's stability, and we will do so now and in the future," she said.

Arab World

Intensive Strikes Target Houthis Amid Suspicions of Toxic Shells Used by Militias

Smoke billows from a site that was targeted west of the city of Taiz, on October 21, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
Smoke billows from a site that was targeted west of the city of Taiz, on October 21, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
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Intensive Strikes Target Houthis Amid Suspicions of Toxic Shells Used by Militias

Smoke billows from a site that was targeted west of the city of Taiz, on October 21, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
Smoke billows from a site that was targeted west of the city of Taiz, on October 21, 2026. (Photo by AFP)

Fighting has intensified across Yemen, with battles spreading to several provinces as Operation "Dawn of Yemen" entered its 25th day and Houthi attacks on civilian areas and infrastructure continued in Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi-led coalition said Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile fired toward the kingdom's Eastern Province early on Thursday.

Yemen's armed forces said on Thursday evening they had carried out 982 strikes on Houthi positions and fortifications in 24 hours, killing or incapacitating 324 commanders and fighters and destroying 108 military vehicles.

The strikes came as Operation "Dawn of Yemen," launched by Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi to reclaim Houthi-held territory and restore state authority, entered its 25th day.

Authorities in Taiz called for an urgent investigation into reports that Houthi forces had fired shells suspected of containing internationally banned toxic substances.

They said earlier incidents had left civilians and soldiers suffering breathing difficulties, with some losing consciousness, and called for specialized testing to establish whether the symptoms were linked to substances released by the shells.

The authorities urged investigators to document witness accounts, medical records and reported cases, and identify any substances used. They also called on the United Nations and international organizations to support the inquiry and hold those responsible accountable if the allegations were confirmed.

Health officials in Taiz said Houthi shelling struck an ambulance on Wednesday as it tried to evacuate an injured civilian from a village in the al-Awat area, west of al-Shaqab in the Sabr al-Mawadim district, south of Taiz city.

The ambulance was badly damaged and put out of service.

The strike came amid heavy shelling of villages around Jabal Sabr, the officials said. They also reported that another ambulance had been hit by a shell the previous week and that Houthis had looted 15 ambulances from health offices and medical centers across several districts.

Aden airport reopens after missile strikes

Fighting spread from the outskirts of Taiz to fronts in Lahj province, Dhubab and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, as coalition warplanes stepped up strikes along Yemen's western coast and Houthi missiles again targeted Aden International Airport.

Aden airport resumed operations on Thursday after engineers repaired runway damage caused by Houthi ballistic missile strikes the previous day.

Aviation sources said technical teams had worked intensively to restore the runway and allow flights to resume.

The Houthis fired two ballistic missiles at the airport on Wednesday, one at 1 p.m. local time and another at 3 p.m.

This frame grab taken from AFPTV video footage on October 28, 2026 shows smoke rising after a missile targeted Yemen's Aden airport for the second time. (Photo by AFPTV / AFP)

The group, which had demanded the airport be evacuated before the strikes, claimed it was targeting a military cargo aircraft. Airport security sources, however, reported no casualties or material damage.

The attacks drew widespread condemnation over the targeting of a civilian airport.

Critics said the Houthis' warnings to civilians on social media shortly before the strikes did not absolve the group of criminal responsibility and amounted to psychological pressure and intimidation against civilians and travelers.

Yemen's Transport Ministry condemned the attacks, saying the latest two strikes brought the number targeting the airport to six in recent days.

It warned that the shelling endangered passengers, aircrews and airport workers, threatened air traffic and posed serious risks to humanitarian and relief operations.

The ministry held the Houthis fully responsible and urged the international community and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to act urgently to protect civilian facilities and ensure aviation safety.

Yemenia Airways said it had diverted flights bound for Aden to Djibouti airport following the shelling.

The airline said the disruption was beyond its control and that the diversions were necessary to protect passengers, crews and aircraft and comply with aviation safety requirements.

Fighting spreads along western front

Ground fighting widened to the Bab al-Mandab Strait and Dhubab district, where military sources said government forces had repelled Houthi infiltration attempts.

The Houthis said they had attacked government positions in the two areas with ballistic missiles and heavy weapons.

In northwestern Lahj province, the Southern Giants Brigades struck Houthi concentrations along the al-Mudaraba and al-Subaiha front, inflicting casualties as clashes involving various weapons erupted.

Coalition warplanes backed the ground operations with a series of strikes along the western coast, including four targeting Houthi positions and movements near the port city of Mokha.

Other airstrikes hit Houthi fortifications in Jabal al-Nar, east of Mokha.

Government forces also repelled an attack on Kahlan and Hamma villages in the al-Misrakh district, west of Taiz, while military units continued clearing recently recaptured positions along the al-Dhabab front, around Jabal Han and near the old airport.

Artillery exchanges continued along the al-Shaqab, al-Aqrud and Sameh fronts in eastern and southern Taiz province.