Why Has Hamas Chosen Khalil Al-Hayya Now?

News Desk

Doha: Hamas has named veteran political leader Khalil Al-Hayya as the group’s new overall leader, elevating one of its most influential diplomats at a time of continued conflict in Gaza and shifting regional dynamics.

The 64-year-old Gaza-born leader, who has long represented Hamas in international diplomacy from Qatar, assumes the group’s top position after the deaths of several senior leaders in Israeli strikes over the past two years, including Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar.

Hayya has emerged as Hamas’ leading political figure abroad, playing a central role in indirect ceasefire negotiations with Israel throughout the Gaza war. He was also involved in previous truce efforts, including negotiations that helped end the 2014 conflict.

Based in Doha for several years, Hayya has managed Hamas’ relations with regional allies and maintained close ties with Iran. He also headed efforts to restore Hamas’ relationship with Syria, leading a delegation to Damascus in 2022 to rebuild ties with then-President Bashar al-Assad after a decade-long rift.

A founding member of Hamas since its establishment in 1987, Hayya was previously active in the Muslim Brotherhood before joining the movement. During his years in Gaza, he was detained multiple times by Israeli authorities and survived several Israeli airstrikes that claimed the lives of members of his family.

According to Hamas sources, Hayya lost one son during the current Gaza conflict, while two other sons and several relatives were killed in earlier Israeli military operations.

He also survived an Israeli strike targeting Hamas leaders in Doha in September last year, further cementing his status as one of the group’s senior surviving figures.

Hayya has said the October 7, 2023, attack was intended to capture Israeli soldiers for a prisoner exchange, arguing that subsequent events escalated beyond Hamas’ original objectives. He has maintained that the conflict brought renewed international attention to the Palestinian issue.

His appointment comes as Hamas continues to engage in indirect negotiations over a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchanges while the war in Gaza remains unresolved.