Hamas's new leader al-Hayya faces an impossible task

Hamas has appointed a new leader, 65-year-old al-Hayya, who will be forced to lead the movement from Qatar as he cannot enter the Gaza Strip. He takes over after Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israel two years ago. Al-Hayya himself survived an Israeli assassination attempt in Qatar, which resulted in the death of his son Humam.

“

Hamas new leader al-Hayya, 65, cannot travel to the Gaza Strip and will be forced to lead the movement from Qatar.

Al-Hayya left Gaza weeks before the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, an action he praised for plunging the region into instability. In September, Israel attempted to assassinate him with a missile strike in Doha. While al-Hayya survived, his son was killed. Following the attack, then-U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly compelled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to apologize and promise not to attack Qatar again.

Born in Gaza City to a native family, al-Hayya is one of the few remaining Hamas leaders who have been involved since the movement's inception in the late 1980s. Hamas grew out of the Islamic University of Gaza, established in 1978 with Israeli permission and funding from Gulf states. Al-Hayya was among the young Gazans influenced by the Muslim Brotherhood's teachings.

“

Al-Hayya survived the explosion but his son Humam was killed – his fourth child killed during the conflict.

The article notes that Hamas leaders can currently operate freely in Turkey and Qatar. Al-Hayya was a close confidant of the previous leader, Yahya Sinwar, and shares his vision of Hamas as part of an Iran-led front against Israel. This contrasts with Khaled Meshal, who lost the leadership election to al-Hayya by a single vote and advocates for Hamas to maintain a primarily Arab and Sunni Muslim identity, avoiding becoming a tool of Iranian hegemony.

“

Al-Hayya shares Sinwar's vision of Hamas as an integrated part of a broad, Iran-led front against Israel.