Gazans react to the killings of Hamas terror leaders
A former political prisoner and activists say public anger toward Hamas leadership is growing after Israel’s killing of senior commanders, with many Gaza residents arguing that civilians — rather than Hamas leaders — have borne the heaviest cost of the war. (Credit: Jusoor News)
Khalil al-Hayya, a veteran Hamas figure long known to Israeli officials, has emerged as the group’s new political chief after a months-long internal election conducted behind closed doors. Analysts say the move suggests Hamas is unlikely to shift direction at a moment of deep pressure and heavy losses.
Al-Hayya, a central Hamas negotiator who has reportedly survived multiple assassination attempts, will take over leadership of the group’s political bureau. But Jaser AbuMousa, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, told INC News that his rise should not be viewed as a generational handoff or a sign of reform.
“Expect more of the same, deliberately,” AbuMousa said. “Al-Hayya is Hamas’s chief negotiator and its ultimate institutional survivor, so you’ll see continued engagement at the negotiating table, ceasefire talks, prisoner exchanges, but do not mistake that for moderation.”
Al-Hayya, Hamas’ longtime chief negotiator in indirect ceasefire and hostage talks with Israel, will now lead its political bureau. (Louai Beshara/AFP via Getty Images)
AbuMousa described al-Hayya’s selection as a move rooted in survival rather than reinvention. “Al-Hayya’s victory is best understood as an act of institutional self-preservation: a battered organization reaching for the most familiar hand available,” he said. “He is an experienced operator, and his elevation signals that Hamas, after the destruction of Gaza and the losses since Oct. 7, 2023, has prioritized organizational cohesion, armed continuity, and the preservation of its Iranian relationship over a genuine political reassessment.”
Al-Hayya has also suffered personal losses during the conflict. According to reports, several members of his family, including four sons and other relatives, have been killed in Israeli operations.
In September 2025, Israel reportedly attempted to target al-Hayya in Qatar, striking a building where a Hamas delegation was staying.
“This is the paradox of Hamas leadership right now: the top job is essentially a death sentence, which is part of why the chair sat empty for nearly two years after Sinwar was killed,” the expert said.
Analysts say Al-Hayya’s elevation signals that Hamas, after the destruction of Gaza and the losses since Oct. 7, 2023, has prioritized organizational cohesion, armed continuity, and the preservation of its Iranian relationship. (Iranian Leader Press Office / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“Al-Hayya himself also survived the Israeli strike in Doha last September. For an ordinary executive, that would be disqualifying,” he noted. “Inside Hamas it’s the opposite — surviving assassination is a credential.”
“Expect him to lead the way his predecessors did: rarely in public, moving between Doha and mediating capitals, communicating through statements and negotiators rather than appearances, with the real command decentralized so no single strike decapitates the movement,” AbuMousa continued. “An organization that rewards who has suffered most, rather than who has led best, has no real mechanism to correct course after a catastrophe like this one. That’s what should make anyone nervous.”
“Al-Hayya lost his four sons, which is a real and profound loss for any father. But two things can be true at once,” he noted. “His personal grief is genuine, and inside Hamas that sacrifice also functions as political capital that lifts him above criticism.”
Al-Hayya replaced Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by Israeli forces in late 2024. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)
While Al-Hayya replaced Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by Israeli forces in October 2024, his rise to power followed a secret election that stretched over months.
“After the near-total destruction of Gaza and staggering losses since Oct. 7, Hamas had a moment to reassess, and it chose continuity instead,” AbuMousa said. “It elevated a loyal survivor tied to Iran and the military wing rather than someone offering a different path.”
“The real story,” according to AbuMousa, “is that Hamas decided its safest bet was to remain exactly what it was: armed, aligned with Tehran, and unwilling to reckon with where its own decisions led Gaza.”
He also cautioned against viewing the leadership vote as a mandate from Gazans.
“This was a closed vote by a leadership council, not an election by the roughly 2 million Gazans whose lives Hamas claims to represent and who haven’t voted since 2006. Many of them blame Hamas for exposing them to this catastrophe,” he said.
“And watch the likely governance model: not a return to running Gaza openly, but a Hezbollah-style arrangement where Hamas sheds visible responsibility while keeping its weapons, its security structures, and a veto over any political deal,” he added.
