Barran Press
The Hamas movement is still deliberating on a successor for Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran last Wednesday, according to a Hamas official on Monday, August 5th.
Reuters reported that the official, who remained unnamed, said discussions about who will lead the movement after Haniyeh are "ongoing."
Several potential candidates are being considered, including former Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Meshaal, who led the movement for 13 years from outside Palestinian territories until he handed the reins to Haniyeh in 2017.
However, experts believe Meshaal's chances may be hampered by his past disagreements with Iran and its regional allies, particularly Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Meshaal was Hamas's leader when the movement turned against Damascus during the Arab Spring protests and expressed support for the uprising against Assad.
Reuters suggests that candidates closer to Tehran may have a better chance of winning the position, such as Khalil al-Haya, Hamas's deputy leader in the Gaza Strip, despite his departure from the territory a few years ago.
Ashraf Abu al-Hol, a specialist in Palestinian affairs and editor-in-chief of the state-owned Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram, stated that Meshaal's chances of succeeding Haniyeh may have diminished due to his lack of significant support from Iran. He pointed out that Meshaal was the one who turned against the Syrian regime and ended Hamas's presence in Damascus.
Abu al-Hol added that the military wing focused on rebuilding after the war, will likely consider a candidate with strong ties to Iran to ensure successful reconstruction efforts.
On Sunday, Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas's deputy leader in the Gaza Strip, announced that the movement will finalize its consultations for selecting a new leader within a few days, replacing Ismail Haniyeh as head of the political bureau.
Al-Hayya made this statement during a condolence ceremony for Haniyeh in Doha, Qatar, as reported by Hamas on the Telegram platform. He said, "Do not worry about Hamas. We have lost a leader, but the movement is managed through our institutions. There is no void with the martyrdom of the leader."
He continued, "We are a unified leadership by the grace of God. We hold our meetings and manage our affairs with all responsibility. It is only a matter of days before we finalize our consultations to choose a new leader for this movement, who will continue on the path of Ismail (Haniyeh), who will continue on the path of Sheikh (Ahmed Yassin, the movement's founder), and who will continue on the path of the martyrs of our Palestinian people."
On Saturday, Hamas announced in a statement that its leadership had begun extensive consultations within its leadership and Shura institutions to choose a new head of the political bureau following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh.
Last Wednesday, Hamas and Iran announced the assassination of Haniyeh in an Israeli airstrike that targeted his residence in Tehran. This occurred a day after his participation in the inauguration ceremony of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.
Haniyeh's assassination came amidst a devastating war launched by Israel, with US support, against Gaza on October 7th, 2023. The war has resulted in over 130,000 Palestinian casualties, mostly children and women, and more than 10,000 missing.
Tel Aviv continues its war, disregarding the UN Security Council's resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire and the International Court of Justice's orders to take measures to prevent acts of genocide and improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.