Hamas is moving in the coming days to elect a new head of its political bureau, in an effort to fill a leadership vacuum left by the killing of its former chief, Yahya Sinwar, who died in October 2024 during clashes he fought alongside his fighters in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Sinwar had been chosen as successor to Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated at the end of July that year in the Iranian capital, Tehran.
Sources in Hamas told Asharq Al-Awsat that the election for the movement’s political bureau chief would take place next week or within the first 10 days of January.
They said a deputy could be elected during the same period or at a later stage, following internal arrangements that could also allow for an appointment rather than an election, unlike the process for the Hamas leader.
The sources stated that there is more than one candidate to lead Hamas, including Khaled Meshaal and Khalil al-Hayya, as well as other figures. They stated that the vote would be held in accordance with the movement’s long-standing internal regulations and that a fraternal atmosphere prevailed ahead of the elections.
According to the sources, electing a new head of the political bureau aims to bolster internal stability and reassurance, and to send a clear message to the outside world that the movement remains cohesive and retains a leadership cadre capable of managing all affairs and taking decisions by full consensus within the political bureau, as was the case before the assassinations carried out during the war.
They said the election would not end the role of the current leadership council that was formed to run the movement after the killings of Haniyeh and Sinwar.
The council would instead be regarded as an advisory body overseeing Hamas’s internal and external issues, with consultations continuing on key matters until the end of its term in 2026.
The sources added that no full elections for the political bureau would be held at this stage, with such elections expected to take place after a year.
They said the upcoming vote would be limited solely to the post of overall political bureau chief and would not include any other organizational bodies.
On the leadership of Hamas’s political bureau in Gaza, following Sinwar’s killing and the failure to appoint a successor, the sources said Khalil al-Hayya is currently heading the bureau in the enclave. If he is elected overall political bureau chief, another figure would be assigned under specific mechanisms to replace him, possibly from within Gaza itself.
They noted that several members of the political bureau in Gaza have already been tasked with managing various portfolios.
The sources said members of the political bureau killed by Israel inside Gaza have been temporarily replaced by others to carry out their duties, including freed prisoners who had been very close to Sinwar.
Hamas has been hit by a series of assassinations targeting its leaders during the two-year war, both inside and outside the Gaza Strip.
Among the most prominent figures killed abroad were Haniyeh and his former deputy, Saleh al-Arouri, who was assassinated in Lebanon in January 2024.
The Gaza Strip is also witnessing a series of administrative and organizational arrangements at first- and second-tier leadership levels, aimed at filling the vacancies left by Israeli assassination operations.
