Hamas Appoints Khalil al-Hayya as Group's New Chief

Gaza City: Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas announced Monday that it had elected Khalil al-Hayya, the group's lead negotiator in indirect ceasefire talks with Israel, as the new head of its political bureau.

"The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) announces the election of brother mujahid Khalil al-Hayya as head of the movement's political bureau, succeeding the martyred leader Yahya al-Sinwar," Hamas said in a statement.

Sinwar, whom Israel accused of being one of the principal architects of the October 7, 2023, attacks, was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza a year later.

Since his death, Hamas has been led by a leadership council headed by long-time senior official Mohammed Darwish.

Born in 1960, Hayya survived an Israeli assassination attempt in Doha last year, though one of his sons was killed in the strike.