An old hand very familiar to Israel has emerged as the new political leader of Hamas following a secret insider election that took months to unfold, and one regional expert said the development signals the terrorist group will not be charting a new course.
Khalil al-Hayya, who has been a key negotiator for Hamas and who has survived multiple alleged assassination attempts, will now lead the group's political bureau. But Middle East Institute Senior Fellow Jaser AbuMousa told Fox News Digital his election is not exactly a passing of the torch.
"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's victory is best understood as an act of institutional self-preservation: a battered organization reaching for the most familiar hand available," AbuMousa warned. "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."
Several members of al-Hayya's family, including four sons and other relatives, have also been killed in Israeli operations, according 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.