Senior Hamas member Khalil al-Hayya is set to continue leading indirect negotiations with Israel for a Gaza ceasefire with guidance from the group's newly appointed leader, Yahya Sinwar, who continues to run the war effort inside Gaza, three Palestinian Arab sources said on Wednesday, according to Reuters.
Hamas announced on Tuesday that it had picked Sinwar as the head of its political bureau chief, replacing Ismail Haniyeh, who was eliminated in Iran last week.
Sinwar is one of the masterminds behind the massacre of October 7, 2023, in which 1,200 Israelis were murdered and 250 were taken hostage into Gaza, where 115 remain in captivity 10 months later.
Experts had seen Hayya as a leading candidate to replace Haniyeh, due partly to his good ties with the group's main backer, Iran, whose support will be vital for the movement to recover after the war.
Working under the supervision of Haniyeh, Hayya has led the group's delegation in mediated talks with Israel aimed at securing a ceasefire and a hostage release deal.
"Dr. Khail Al-Hayya is the head of the negotiation team and there is no change to this," the Hamas official said, according to Reuters.
Another source familiar with Hamas deliberations said Hayya had enjoyed the trust of both Haniyeh and Sinwar, adding it was expected that he would "continue to lead the indirect negotiations and be the diplomatic face of the movement".
The US has been pushing a three-phase proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release deal which President Joe Biden outlined in late May.
Biden recently indicated that both Israel and Hamas had agreed to the outline and reiterated his determination to implement the proposal, even though Hamas rejected the Biden outline shortly after he presented it.
Recently, a US official said that the negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal are in their "closing stages", though those comments came before Haniyeh’s elimination.
After Haniyeh was eliminated, Biden said that the elimination was not helpful for a ceasefire in Gaza.