Who Is Khalil al-Hayya? Hamas’s New Leader and What His Rise Means for Gaza and Israel

By: Moataz Khalil

AI generated photo of al-Hayya

Reports from Gaza indicate that Hamas has chosen Khalil al-Hayya (Abu Osama) as its new leader following the death of Yahya Sinwar, defeating his main rival Khaled Mashaal in an internal struggle that reflected competing visions for the movement’s future.

The appointment signals continuity rather than change - Hamas seeking to look pragmatic while appointing a real hardliner. While Mashaal has long represented Hamas’s external leadership and more internationally connected political wing, al-Hayya is closely associated with the movement’s Gaza-based hardline camp — the faction shaped by years of direct confrontation with Israel and closely aligned with Sinwar’s strategic outlook.

Who Is Khalil al-Hayya? Background, Hamas Career, and Rise to Power

Khalil al-Hayya, born in Gaza in 1960, has been a member of Hamas since its founding in 1987 and is considered one of the movement’s most influential political figures from Gaza.

In the early 1980s, he joined the Muslim Brotherhood — the Islamist movement from which Hamas later emerged — alongside figures such as Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, according to Hamas sources. Over the years, he was arrested multiple times by Israel.

Al-Hayya has also suffered major personal losses during conflicts with Israel. In 2007, an Israeli airstrike struck his family home in Gaza City’s Shuja’iyya neighborhood, killing several relatives. During the 2014 Gaza war, another Israeli strike killed his eldest son, Osama al-Hayya, along with his wife and three children.

Unlike Khaled Mashaal, who became associated with Hamas’s external political leadership operating largely from Qatar and other regional capitals, al-Hayya emerged from Hamas’s internal Gaza leadership structure and became deeply involved in the movement’s political, organizational, and strategic operations inside the Strip.

Why Khalil al-Hayya’s Appointment Matters Inside Hamas?

Israel has long viewed al-Hayya as one of Hamas’s most significant and influential political figures. Within the movement, he oversees highly sensitive portfolios, including political coordination and media supervision.

Despite periodic tensions with Tamer Almisshal — the Al Jazeera figure widely associated with shaping Hamas’s media messaging — Palestinian sources say Almisshal consistently follows al-Hayya’s directives, even at times prioritizing instructions from Gaza over requests from Hamas leaders abroad.

Al-Hayya is closely associated with Yahya Sinwar’s hardline approach inside Hamas. According to Palestinian sources cited by ME24, he has often viewed elements of Hamas’s external leadership with skepticism, reportedly dismissing some abroad-based figures as little more than “lazy fund collectors.”

Relations between al-Hayya and other senior Hamas officials have also reportedly been strained. Palestinian sources say he played a behind-the-scenes role in internal Hamas investigations involving senior Hamas figure Zahir Jabarin following allegations tied to real estate brokerage activities in Turkey connected to relatives of Jabarin’s wife. Tensions between the two men have reportedly persisted since then.

Khalil al-Hayya, Egypt, and Hamas’s Regional Strategy

Despite his hardline reputation, al-Hayya is considered pragmatic regarding Egypt’s importance to Hamas.

According to sources familiar with internal Hamas discussions, al-Hayya once stated during a closed leadership meeting that Egypt’s role could not be sidelined under any circumstances. Middle East 24 has also learned that he told a Qatari journalist that any Hamas member who believed Egypt could be bypassed was “foolish.”

At the same time, al-Hayya’s relationship with Cairo has often been tense.

Last year, he drew sharp criticism in Egyptian political and media circles after publicly urging Egyptians to “march toward Palestine by land and sea and besiege embassies,” while asking: “O people of Egypt and its leadership, how can you allow your brothers to die at your borders?”

Some Egyptian analysts interpreted the remarks as reflecting Qatari pressure amid ongoing tensions between Cairo and Doha.

Israel also appears to have recognized al-Hayya’s growing importance. Reports indicate that Israel attempted to target him in September of last year, though he survived.

Al-Hayya is also considered closely connected to Iran, Hamas’s primary military sponsor and a major source of funding and weapons for the movement.

Khalil al-Hayya’s Role After the October 7 Hamas Attack

Al-Hayya was not inside Gaza during the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. By that point, he had already relocated to Qatar, where he served as Hamas’s official responsible for Arab and Islamic relations.

He later accompanied Ismail Haniyeh during a visit to Tehran last July, during which Haniyeh was assassinated.

Al-Hayya has described the October 7 attack as having initially been intended as a limited operation designed to capture Israeli soldiers for a prisoner exchange.

In remarks published by the Hamas-affiliated Palestinian Information Center, al-Hayya claimed that “the Gaza Division of the Zionist army completely collapsed” during the attack and argued that October 7 “revived the Palestinian cause across the world.”

Khalil al-Hayya and Hamas Ceasefire Negotiations

In recent years, al-Hayya has become one of Hamas’s leading negotiators in indirect talks with Israel over ceasefire agreements and hostage-prisoner exchanges.

He played a key role in mediation efforts that helped end the 2014 Gaza war and later participated in negotiations surrounding the current conflict.

Al-Hayya has also managed broader regional political portfolios for Hamas. In 2022, he led a Hamas delegation to Damascus aimed at restoring relations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad after years of estrangement following the Syrian civil war.

The rapprochement reflected Hamas’s effort to rebuild ties with Iran’s regional alliance network after years of tension over the movement’s earlier support for the Sunni uprising against Assad.

What Khalil al-Hayya’s Leadership Means for Hamas, Gaza, and Israel?

The appointment of Khalil al-Hayya reinforces the dominance of Hamas’s hardline Gaza-based leadership at a pivotal moment for the region.

His rise suggests Hamas is unlikely to move toward moderation or disarmament in the near future. Instead, the movement appears committed to maintaining armed resistance as both a strategic necessity and a core ideological principle.

The leadership transition also reflects Hamas’s continued reliance on its traditional regional alliances — militarily with Iran, financially with Qatar, while still recognizing Egypt as an essential political intermediary.

More broadly, al-Hayya’s appointment comes amid a period of major regional upheaval tied to the expanding confrontation involving Israel, Iran, and Iran-aligned groups across the Middle East. In that context, Hamas appears to have chosen continuity over recalibration, elevating a figure closely associated with Sinwar’s confrontational approach rather than a leader identified with external diplomacy or political flexibility.

For Israel, the appointment likely signals that Hamas’s leadership remains committed to preserving its military capabilities and maintaining long-term confrontation as a central part of the movement’s strategy.

Far from indicating a shift toward political moderation, Khalil al-Hayya’s rise suggests Hamas is consolidating around a leadership structure that continues to see armed struggle as the movement’s primary source of legitimacy and leverage.

Moataz AlKhalil is an Egyptian, London-based journalist and media researcher on Middle East affairs. He is a senior contributor to MiddleEast24 and has written for many of the top media platforms across the Middle East.