The election of Khalil al-Hayya as head of Hamas’s Political Bureau represents far more than a change of leadership. It signals the movement’s entry into a new political phase, shaped by the war on Gaza, the systematic assassination of its leaders and the struggle over who will shape Palestine’s future once the conflict ends. For nearly two years, Israel has pursued what it calls a strategy of “decapitating” Hamas’s leadership. The assassinations of Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar and other senior figures were intended to fragment the movement and undermine its command structure. Al-Hayya’s election points in the opposite direction. Despite its losses, Hamas has preserved its institutional framework and demonstrated its ability to renew its leadership through its own internal [...]
