Doha, Qatar. Hamas said on Monday that Khalil Al-Hayya had been named its overall leader, replacing Yahya Sinwar, who was killed in combat with Israeli forces in 2024.
Leadership change
Al-Hayya had served as Hamas’s exiled Gaza chief and top negotiator. He has taken on an increasingly central role in the group’s leadership following the deaths of Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh.
Previous leadership losses
Sinwar was killed as Hamas fought a full-scale, two-year war with Israel in the Gaza Strip. Haniyeh was killed in Iran in July 2024.
Doha attack
Al-Hayya was among senior Hamas officials targeted in an Israeli attack in Doha in 2025, Israeli officials told Reuters.