TUNIS, July 20. /TASS/. Hamas has elected Khalil al-Hayya as the new head of its Political Bureau, the Palestinian movement said in a statement on Telegram.

"Hamas announces the election of Khalil al-Hayya as head of the movement’s Political Bureau," the statement reads.

On July 18, Al Hadath TV reported, citing sources, that Hamas had voted to choose a new leader for its political bureau.

The group had been without a leader since Yahya Sinwar was killed in an Israeli strike on a residential building in Rafah, southern Gaza, in October 2024. Sinwar had succeeded Ismail Haniyeh, killed in an Israeli attack on his residence in July 2024. Following Sinwar’s death, a governing council oversaw the work of Hamas’ political bureau.