A senior member of Hamas, the Palestinian militant organization, announced that the group plans to elect a new leader in March 2024. In the interim, a five-member committee will oversee its operations. Due to security concerns, the identity of the new leader may remain confidential to prevent targeted attacks from Israel.
According to a report by the BBC, Israel recently confirmed that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has been killed in the Gaza Strip, a claim that Hamas has also validated. Sources indicate that Hamas was shocked by Sinwar’s death, anticipating he was in a more secure location rather than exposed in a damaged residential area.
Historically, following the assassinations of Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmad Yassin in 2004 and his successor Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi that same year, Hamas had opted to keep the identity of its leadership under wraps.
Current members of the five-person committee managing Hamas include Khalil al-Hayya, who has frequently represented the organization in negotiations; Khaled Meshaal, responsible for expatriate affairs; Zaher Jabarin, often referred to as Hamas’s chief executive officer and financial officer; Muhammad Darwish, chairperson of the Islamic Consultative Council; and one additional member whose identity remains undisclosed.
Khalil al-Hayya is expected to take on the majority of the political and diplomatic tasks, effectively acting as the interim leader of Hamas during this transition.
CNN’s report includes insights from Hussein Ibish, a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. He suggested that Sinwar’s death could intensify ongoing confrontations with Israel, stating that the destruction of leadership is prompting Hamas to adapt its strategies.
Ibish emphasized that Hamas’s fight is “just beginning” and is evolving into a decentralized approach involving guerrilla-style operations, rather than requiring a structured leadership or command hierarchy.
He explained that Hamas may depend on low-tech, less sophisticated weaponry for survival, including handguns, submachine guns, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). “Their people are willing to die,” he remarked.
Drawing parallels, Ibish referenced Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon, which expelled the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from Beirut, ultimately leading to the emergence of a more powerful Hezbollah.
