Claims that 'Hamas's new leader will be from outside Gaza'

Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an attack in Iran on July 31, and his successor, Yahya Sinwar, was killed in an attack in Gaza on October 17. Following Sinwar's death, the question of who would head the organization that 'governs Gaza' became a subject of debate.

According to Euronews, experts are of the opinion that the organization will transfer its leadership to a figure based outside of Gaza.

According to experts, Hamas must consider not only the preferences of its main supporter, Iran, but also the interests of Qatar, where all prominent candidates reside, in its new leadership negotiations.

Khalil al-Hayya, the Hamas leader in Gaza who confirmed Sinwar's death, is currently the acting leader of the organization.

Al-Hayya, who is based in Qatar, is also one of the potential candidates for the leadership.

The new leader of Hamas will be appointed by the Shura Council, the highest decision-making body.

The council represents all Hamas members in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Israeli prisons, and the Palestinian diaspora. This means that the new leader must have the authority to participate in ceasefire negotiations.

NAMES BEING DISCUSSED

According to a Hamas source who spoke to Reuters, the main candidates for the leadership are as follows:

• Khalil al-Hayya
• Khaled Mashal, the predecessor of Ismail Haniyeh
• Mohammed Darwish (who chairs the Shura Council)

'RESPONSIBILITIES MAY BE DIVIDED'

When Sinwar succeeded Haniyeh, he had combined the military and political leadership in Gaza, but experts do not see such a scenario as likely this time.

Palestinian expert Ashraf Abu Bakr expects Sinwar's responsibilities to be divided between two roles. One of these roles will be to oversee military affairs, and the other will be to manage the political office responsible for international contacts and shaping policies.

Ashraf Abu Bakr, managing editor of the Egyptian state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper, stated the following:

“Iran is the most powerful ally of Hamas, which it supports with money and weapons, and its approval is key to who will be Sinwar's successor.”

A Hamas source stated that al-Hayya is not expected to face any problems while fulfilling the role of 'de facto Gaza leader'. The source noted that al-Hayya maintains good relations with the military wing and was in close contact with both Sinwar and Haniyeh.

Palestinian political analyst Akram Attallah also expects the armed wing to respect al-Hayya's authority. Attallah also predicts that Mohammed Sinwar, the brother of Yahya Sinwar, will play a larger role in the armed wing and in Hamas in general.

Hamas sources stated that Mohammed Sinwar, a senior commander of the armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, rarely appears in public, has long been on Israel's most-wanted list, and has survived several assassination attempts.