Hamas holds election for new interim leader, source tells BBC

Hamas is holding an election for a new interim leader

A senior Palestinian official familiar with the armed group's affairs has told the BBC that Hamas is holding an election for a new interim leader. Voting is taking place across Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and among Hamas members elsewhere.

The outcome may signal the movement's direction as international mediators discuss post-war governance for Gaza. The election follows the killings of most of Hamas's senior leadership in Israeli strikes after the October 7th, 2023 attacks.

The race for leadership

According to the official, the frontrunner is Khaled Meshaal, a part of Hamas's "old guard" who has previously led the group. He is currently thought to reside in Doha, Qatar.

Other names have been discussed internally, but no formal shortlist has been announced. The new leader, once chosen, will hold office for one year.

People in Gaza have already cast secret votes, but it is unclear if the process has concluded in other regions. The position of overall head has been vacant since the deaths of political leader Ismail Haniyeh and Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar.

A leadership vacuum after key deaths

The war has had a deep impact on Hamas's internal politics. Israeli strikes have killed senior figures and diminished the group's structures, weakening its Gaza-based leadership.

Key leaders killed include:

• Yahya Sinwar, the overall head in Gaza, killed in October 2024.
• Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader, killed in an Israeli attack in Iran in July 2024.
• Mohammed Deif, the military chief, killed in a Gaza air strike in July 2024.

Since these deaths, the movement has been led by an interim committee headed by Qatar-based Mohammad Darwish.

How the election works

Under Hamas's rules, the head is chosen by an electoral college of about 86 members from the General Shura Council. This is the group's top decision-making body.

The council represents:

• Gaza
• The West Bank
• Palestinian prisoners in Israel
• Officials based abroad

The political leadership itself is composed of 18 members: six each representing Gaza, the West Bank and prisoners, and Hamas abroad.

Internal rivalries and a shifting balance

For years, Hamas has been shaped by a persistent internal rivalry between two broad currents. One, often aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood and represented by Meshaal, is viewed by observers as more pragmatic.

The other was seen as closer to Iran, a vital ally providing financial backing and weaponry. This faction was represented most prominently by Sinwar and leaders inside Gaza.

Decision-making shifted heavily towards Gaza in 2017 when Haniyeh and Sinwar took their leadership roles. The recent war, however, appears to have reopened space for figures from the "old guard" traditionally linked to Meshaal.

The high-stakes context for a new leader

The election occurs amid ongoing ceasefire negotiations and a proposed US plan for Gaza's future. Under that plan, Hamas would have no role in governance, which would eventually be handed to a reformed Palestinian Authority.

With Gaza devastated and its political landscape in flux, the selection is a critical step. It will determine how Hamas navigates mounting internal and external pressures in the year ahead.

The Hamas-run health ministry says more than 72,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, though it does not distinguish between civilians and fighters.