According to Asharq, Hayya is expected to win due to his popularity in the Gaza Strip and involvement in Hamas operations in the West Bank.
Hamas is planning to hold internal elections to choose its new political bureau head, the Saudi Arabia-based channel Asharq News reported on Saturday.
The election, which was originally set to be held earlier this year, was ordered by a leadership council that was established after the deaths of Hamas’s previous political bureau chiefs Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, who was the mastermind behind Hamas’s October 7 massacre.
Asharq News reported that the decision to hold the election, which will result in the dissolution of the transitional leadership council, was forced by “the appearance of contradictory opinions among the members of the council” regarding Hamas’s future in Gaza and ties with regional allies.
Hamas’s Shura Council, made up of approximately 50 individuals representing the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and global Hamas operations, has begun preparations for the election, the Saudi news channel said, adding that the vote will occur within the next few days or weeks.
Candidates disagree on Hamas strategy, Iran ties
The two candidates up for the position are Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya and Khaled Mashaal. According to Asharq, Hayya is expected to win due to his popularity in the Gaza Strip and involvement in Hamas operations in the West Bank.
Hayya’s platform is based on maintaining the current status quo of Hamas’s strategy, which includes “armed confrontation with Israel in the Gaza Strip until the war ends and the Israeli army completely withdraws,” the news agency said.
In contrast, Mashaal is reportedly leaning toward a path based on trying to distance Hamas from Iranian influence, strengthening ties with more moderate Arab nations, and continuing to participate in ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Gaza.
Hayya and Mashaal were two of the three Hamas terror leaders targeted by an unsuccessful Israeli assassination attempt in Doha in early September.
LATEST POSTS
- 1
Kobe Bryant called this WNBA star the 'Gold Mamba.' She turned his advice to her into a tattoo. - 2Nearly half of reindeer have been wiped out and armadillos are in Iowa. Here’s how animals are weathering warming holidays
- 3The most effective method to Amplify Profits from Gold Speculation: Systems and Tips
- 4Sahel coups push Africa to top of global democratic declines, report finds
- 5Vote In favor of Your Number one Game Control center
- Reconnecting with an old friend is a story of distance, loss and rediscovery
- Geminid shooting stars: One of 2025's most exciting meteor showers begins tonight
- The Ascent of Rousing Pioneers Who Formed History
- Coffee Prices Finish Higher on Brazil Cop Concerns
- A whale stranded at a Baltic Sea resort has swum off a sandbank. But it isn't safe yet
- Great DSLR Cameras for Photography Devotees
- Health Rounds: Regeneron drug wipes out residual multiple myeloma cells in small trial
- Why are NASA's Artemis astronauts wearing orange? What are they bringing to space? What to know about the preparation for their moon mission.
- Clocks to go forward one hour in Europe as summer time starts
