Khalil al-Hayya (Chairman)
Khalil al-Hayya (خليل الحية), born in 1960 in Gaza City, was elected chairman of Hamas’s Politburo in July 2026, formerly replacing Yahya Sinwar. He is also head of Hamas’ political wing in Gaza.
Hayya has been a member of Hamas since its founding, becoming deputy chairman of its Gaza politburo in 2017. He was elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council in 2006. In 2021, he led the group’s ‘Jerusalem Is Our Promise’ list in the cancelled May 2021 legislative elections. He played a key role in negotiating ceasefires with Israel during the 2012, 2014 and 2023- Gaza wars.
Hayya has reportedly pushed for closer relations with Iran and the Lebanese Hizbullah armed group.
He has been arrested multiple times by Israel and the target of repeated assassination attempts. A number of his family members have been killed, including his wife and four children, in Israeli strikes.
Hayya taught Islamic theology at the Islamic University of Gaza after earning a doctorate degree in hadith sciences in 1997 from the University of the Holy Quran and Islamic Sciences in Sudan. He subsequently joined the Palestinian Scholars Association — an Islamic organisation linked to Hamas which issues religious rulings (fatwas). In addition, he has held several positions in student and workers’ unions, including as dean of student affairs and president of the employees’ union at the Islamic University of Gaza.