In September 2025, Khalil al-Hayya was in Doha, Qatar, when an Israeli airstrike was carried out.
“Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya [was] targeted with others in an Israeli operation in Doha on Tuesday,” UAE daily The National noted at the time. It also said he had been leading the group’s negotiations.
“Hamas’s six-man leadership [was] targeted in Doha by Israel,” the report said. Now, reports say that he has been named the head of Hamas’s political bureau, essentially replacing former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
Hayya is expected to play a crucial role going forward. Notably, he is not in Gaza. This means that Hamas operatives in Gaza, who have remained in the shadows thus far, will continue to do so, benefiting from an opaque leadership style.
Hamas has claimed that it is ready to transfer the governance of Gaza to another party. However, with its leaders living abroad, Hamas can claim it has given over control and still maintain power behind the scenes. Hayya, thus, will be key to its plans.
From Hamas founder to political bureau chief
Hayya is a member of the original Hamas generation. Born in 1960 in Gaza, he grew up with other leaders of Hamas, who also lived in Gaza. The group formed in the 1980s, inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. He joined the group when it was founded during the First Intifada in 1987.
Hayya was detained by Israel in the 1990s and served three years in prison. He left Gaza before the October 7 massacre and ended up in Doha alongside other Hamas heavyweights.
Before October 7, Hayya was already well-known to both Hamas and Israel. For instance, in November 2023, Hayya was running a communications office for Hamas and was Sinwar’s deputy.
“Al-Hayya’s past includes a three-year stint in an Israeli prison, and he has survived multiple attempts on his life. These assassination attempts led to the death of 19 of his family members. Currently, al-Hayya resides in Qatar,” Ynet said at the time.
In the past, Hayya appeared at semi-public events in Qatar. For instance, in August 2024, he appeared at a memorial for assassinated Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Doha.
Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat noted, “Hayya has been widely seen as Hamas’s most influential figure abroad since Haniyeh’s death. He is part of a five-man leadership council that has led Hamas since Yahya Sinwar’s death. Hailing from the Gaza Strip, he has lost several close relatives, including his eldest son, to Israeli strikes.”
Hayya alleged that Israel has been trying to assassinate him since 2007, and Palestinian media has repeated this claim. Back in 2007, he claimed that Israel struck his home, “killing seven of his children and family members,” the Palestine Information Center claimed.
“In 2014, Israel tried once again to assassinate him, failing, but spilling more of his family’s blood,” the report said. It is, crucially, impossible to verify this.
One thing is startlingly clear, however: Hayya has made his personal losses an integral part of his identity. Hayya’s son was killed in the 2014 war. In 2025, TRT alleged that, “in August, Israeli media reported that two of al-Hayya’s nephews, Ayman Abd al Salam al-Hayya and Mu’az Abd al Salam al-Hayya, were killed in Gaza while cutting firewood in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood.”
Hayya's role in Hamas negotiations and leadership
Hayya’s narrative has been that he will continue the course set by Haniyeh and Sinwar. This would entail endless war, as well as Hamas’s continuous attempts to rebuild itself.
A 2025 article at The Dispatch noted: “Al-Hayya has long held roles in Hamas’s leadership. He served as the group’s lead negotiator in the talks that followed the wars Hamas fought in 2012 and 2014 against Israel. He was the leader of Hamas’ parliamentary bloc in the Palestinian Legislative Council from 2006. In 2017, Yahya Sinwar, then the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, appointed al-Hayya as his deputy, and Hamas’ political bureau reelected al-Hayya for that role in 2021.”
The Dispatch goes on to note that Hayya was involved in contacts with the Assad regime in 2022, which attempted to reconnect Hamas and Assad. The group left Syria in 2012.
“Interestingly, al-Hayya’s role as hostage deal negotiator for Hamas is not a new one for him,” The Dispatch’s report added. “He participated in the hostage negotiations after Hamas kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006, and Israel subsequently traded 1,000 Palestinian prisoners for his release in 2011. Al-Hayya was hardly the only Hamas leader to say it, but he proclaimed that the Shalit deal proved that kidnapping works, and he promised more abductions.”
Hayya is an educated man, having received a doctorate in Sudan. He was involved in academic research for several years in the late 1990s, and ran in Palestinian elections in 2006.
Hayya continues to support the October 7 massacre. In a 2025 interview shown on CGTN Europe, it was noted that “senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya lauded the October 7 attack on Israel as a significant achievement, claiming it would be remembered with pride by future generations of Palestinians.” He also angered Egypt and Jordan by calling for their citizens to march toward Gaza.
What Hayya's appointment could mean for Hamas
For many years, Hayya was widely seen as a candidate for top leadership. He was already a member of the triumvirate of leadership that emerged after Sinwar’s death. He also worked alongside Hamas Shura Council chairman Mohammed Darwish, Zaher Jabarin, and Khaled Meshaal.
Considering his background, it is unlikely that Hayya will bring change to Hamas. On the contrary, it seems that he will continue on the same path as its previous leadership.