Halil el-Hayya elected new Hamas leader, signaling potential for US engagement
Translated from Turkish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
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Outcome reported
- Halil el-Hayya has been elected as the new leader of Hamas, narrowly defeating former Political Bureau chief Khaled Meshaal by one vote.
- El-Hayya is considered a pragmatic figure who has engaged in direct negotiations with US officials, potentially positioning him as a more accessible interlocutor for the US.
- His election is seen by some analysts as representing continuity within Hamas, despite his known proximity to Iran and his personal history of losing family members in conflicts.
Hamas has elected Halil el-Hayya as its new leader, following the death of former leader Yahya Sinwar in October 2024. El-Hayya secured victory in a closely contested leadership race, narrowly defeating Khaled Meshaal, the former head of the Hamas Political Bureau, by a single vote. This outcome could potentially simplify engagement for the United States, as it presents a single, prominent leader within Hamas who may be open to dialogue.
El-Hayya is described as a pragmatic figure who has participated in direct discussions with U.S. officials, including Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, and Steve Witkoff, the former U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Peace. Analysts suggest that despite his known ties to Iran, el-Hayya's established dialogue with Witkoff could revitalize U.S.-led diplomatic efforts concerning Gaza's future. Muhammad Shehada, a writer and researcher with the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), noted that el-Hayya is seen as a natural part of the "Resistance Axis" aligned with Iran, yet he is also adept at negotiation and diplomatic processes.
El-Hayya is seen as a natural part of the Iranian-aligned Resistance Axis. However, he is also someone who can move very comfortably in negotiation and diplomatic processes. As far as I know, Steve Witkoff was quite eager to meet directly with el-Hayya.
Shehada also highlighted a personal connection between el-Hayya and Steve Witkoff, referring to el-Hayya as the "father of four martyrs." Two of his sons died before the October 7 attacks, one was killed in an Israeli strike in Doha in September 2025 during discussions about a ceasefire proposed by Witkoff, and another son died in subsequent attacks. This shared experience of losing a child reportedly created a personal bond between el-Hayya and Witkoff, who himself lost his 22-year-old son in 2011. Witkoff confirmed this connection in a "60 Minutes" interview, stating they bonded over their shared grief as parents who had buried their children.
El-Hayya, who was born in Gaza, served as Hamas's de facto leader in Gaza during the ongoing Israeli war and was the chief negotiator for ceasefires and prisoner exchanges. His influence within the organization significantly increased following the assassinations of Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh. Hugh Lovatt, a senior researcher at ECFR, suggested that el-Hayya's election does not signify a fundamental change in Hamas's structure, indicating a degree of continuity within the organization.
We conveyed our condolences for the loss of his son. He also spoke about it. I said I lost my son. We expressed that we are members of the same club of parents who have buried their children.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Cumhuriyet in Turkish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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