Hamas To Soon Finalise Its New Chief, Leader To Serve For One Year Only: Report

Last Updated:February 22, 2026, 20:32 IST

Hamas will soon elect a new leader, with Khaled Meshaal and Khalil al-Hayya as contenders. The new chief will serve for one year amid ongoing international disarmament pressure.

A new leader of Palestinian Islamist movement will soon be elected, a senior Hamas official said, adding that two key members are competing for the post.

AFP quoted the official saying that Hamas recently completed the formation of a new Shura Council, a consultative body largely composed of religious scholars, as well as a new political bureau.

“The movement has completed its internal elections in the three regions and has reached the final stage of selecting the head of the political bureau," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Also Read: Trump’s Board Of Peace Pledges $5 Billion For Gaza Reconstruction, Calls For Hamas To Disarm

He added the two key contenders for the post are Khaled Meshaal and Khalil al-Hayya.

Hayya, 65-year-old, is a resident of Gaza and Hamas’s chief negotiator in ceasefire talks. He has played key roles since at least 2006, AFP quoted the US-based NGO the Counter Extremism Project (CEP).

Meanwhile, Meshaal, who led the political bureau from 2004 to 2017, has never lived in Gaza, according to AFP. He was born in the West Bank in 1956. The CEP reported that he led Hamas’s evolution into a political-military hybrid. He currently heads the movement’s diaspora office.

Also Read: Hamas Ready To Transfer Gaza Control To US-Backed Palestinian Committee: ‘Protocols Prepared’

Since the beginning of war between Israel and Gaza following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, Israeli forces have killed several of the movement’s leaders, including two former chiefs.

AFP quoted another Hamas source saying that the new leader will serve for only “one year… a transitional period".

The source further said thousands of Hamas members have voted to choose the council and the political bureau. “The primary goal of the process was to renew internal legitimacy and fill leadership vacancies," the source added.

According to AFP, the new leader will need to navigate between international calls, led by the United States and Israel, for the group to disarm, and resistance to that demand from its armed wing, which fought Israeli forces in Gaza.

News world Hamas To Soon Finalise Its New Chief, Leader To Serve For One Year Only: Report

Read More