Hamas is expected to choose a new leader this month, two members of the terrorist group told the Reuters news agency on Tuesday, filling the position left vacant since Israel eliminated Yahya Sinwar in 2024 - despite internal concerns that whoever succeeds him could meet the same fate.
Khalil Al‑Hayya and Khaled Mashaal are viewed as the leading contenders, according to Reuters.
Both men live in Qatar and sit on the five‑member council that has overseen Hamas since Sinwar’s elimination. Sinwar, a key architect of the October 7, 2023 attack, succeeded Ismail Haniyeh, who was eliminated by Israel during a visit to Iran in 2024.
According to the sources, the election process is already underway. The new leader will be chosen in a secret ballot by Hamas’ 50‑member Shoura Council, which includes representatives from Gaza, Judea and Samaria, and Hamas members abroad. A Hamas spokesperson declined to comment.
A deputy leader will also be selected to replace Saleh Al‑Arouri, who was eliminated in an Israeli strike in Lebanon in 2024. While some within Hamas favor extending the current collective leadership, sources close to the group said it is determined to complete the vote.
The vote comes as US President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan, the first stage of which went into effect in October, requires Hamas to disarm and envisions Gaza being administered by a technocratic Palestinian Arab body overseen by an international entity known as the Board of Peace.
Hamas has rejected disarmament, insisting the issue must be debated among Palestinian Arab factions and saying it would only surrender weapons to a future Palestinian state. Western governments, including the United States, designate Hamas as a terrorist organization.