"Chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau" and "Hamas Political Bureau" redirect here. For the political party of this office, see Hamas. For other uses, see Hamas (disambiguation).
"Chairman of the Hamas Shura Council" redirects here. For the Islamic term of collective decision-making, see Shura. For other uses, see Shura (disambiguation).
Chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau
رئيس المكتب السياسي لحركة حماس(Arabic) Ra’īs al-Maktab as-Siasi li-Ḥarakat Ḥamās
The chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau (Arabic: رئيس المكتب السياسي لحركة حماس, romanized:Ra’īs al-Maktab as-Siasi li-Ḥarakat Ḥamās), also known as the chairman of the Hamas Shura Council (Arabic: رئيس مجلس شورى لحركة حماس, romanized:Ra’īs Majlis Shūra li-Ḥarakat Ḥamās) from 1987 until 2004, is the overall and de facto leader of Hamas, a PalestinianSunniIslamist political and military organisation that is governing most of the Gaza Strip since 2007. The position is currently vacant, following the killing of Yahya Sinwar by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on 16 October 2024 in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestine. However, the council that was handpicked by Sinwar in case of his death was formed and will lead Hamas until the next election that will take place in March 2025. The council consists of Khaled Mashal, Khalil al-Hayya, Zaher Jabarin, Muhammad Ismail Darwish, and an unnamed senior member of Hamas.[13][14][15][16]
The chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau is expected to oversee the organization and its various components, while military operations are managed separately by military commanders. Residing in Doha, Qatar, the chairman serves as a figurehead for Hamas during Palestinian elections and becomes the central leader in the resistance against Israeli occupation. Additionally, he plays a crucial role in foreign relations, leading negotiations with Israeli officials regarding peace processes, fostering reconciliation with Fatah, and enhancing ties with other Middle Eastern countries.
The current chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau at that time, Khaled Mashal, took over Hamas leadership and was declared the overall and de facto leader of Hamas since April 2004. Although he held this position since 1996, he was not the overall leader of Hamas since the chairman of the Hamas Shura Council at that time considered as the de facto leader. Hamas elected Mousa Abu Marzook, the previous political bureau's chairman, as the deputy chairman of Hamas Political Bureau in January 1997.
In May 2017, Ismail Haniyeh, the deputy chairman of Hamas Political Bureau, was elected by the Hamas Shura Council as the chairman of Hamas Political Bureau. Hamas also elected Saleh al-Arouri as the deputy chairman of Hamas Political Bureau. However, Al-Arouri was assassinated by Israeli strike in January 2024. Six months later, Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran while attending for the inauguration ceremony of the President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian.
On 31 July 2024, Khaled Mashal was selected as the acting chairman of Hamas Political Bureau until the new leader was elected.[17][18] Mashal, the then-chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau, was expected to lead Hamas again.[19]
On 5 August 2024, Muhammad Ismail Darwish was expected to become the next chairman of Hamas Political Bureau.[20][21][22][23] Before this, he serving as the chairman of the Hamas Shura Council from October 2023, succeeded Osama Mazini, after his killing on 16 October 2023 by Israeli strike.
However, on 6 August 2024, Yahya Sinwar was officially appointed as the next chairman of Hamas Political Bureau and de facto leader of Hamas, six days after the assassination of his predecessor, Ismail Haniyeh. The announcement came after the Shura Council, the body that elects Hamas' politburo, voted unanimously to choose Sinwar as the new leader, in what was described by a Hamas official as a "message of defiance to Israel".[24][25]Khalil al-Hayya was selected as the deputy chairman of Hamas Political Bureau on the same day. Previously, Al-Hayya was the deputy leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Khalil al-Hayya, previous deputy chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau who served from 6 August 2024 until 16 October 2024, when Yahya Sinwar was killed by the IDF. He is also serving as the deputy leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip since 2017.
On 16 October 2024, Sinwar was killed after leading Hamas for only two and a half months.
In the aftermath, Khaled Mashal was performing duties again as acting de facto leader of Hamas, for the second time, until the new leader was elected.[26][27][28][29]
Sinwar recommended that, in case of his death, Hamas appoint a council of leaders to govern and manage the transition following his death. The Sinwar's recommended council include:[30][31]
The Hamas official indicated that Khalil al-Hayya has assumed responsibility for most political and foreign affairs in addition to his direct oversight of Gaza-related matters and is effectively the acting de facto leader of Hamas.[34]
Hamas inherited a tripartite organization of social services, religious instruction, and military operations overseen by a Shura Council. It used to have four different roles:
Hamas is led both internally, in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and externally, by two groups: Kuwaiti organization (Kuwaidi), led by Khaled Mashal, and a Gaza group led by Mousa Abu Marzook, who was exiled first to Damascus and subsequently to Egypt. Following its leader Mashal's decision to demand that Iraq withdraw from Kuwait and defy Yasser Arafat's decision to support Saddam Hussein in the invasion, the Kuwaiti group of Palestinian exiles started to receive substantial money from the Gulf States. Ismail Haniyeh was selected by the Hamas Shura Council in May 2017 to succeed Mashal as the leader of Hamas.
The organization's operational actions are concealed by a veil of secrecy, making its actual structure unclear. Although this has been called into question, Hamas formally claims that the wings are separate and independent. Its wings, it has been suggested, are both distinct and united for political purposes, both foreign and internal. The wide network of informants and the depth of Israeli intelligence surveillance pose challenges to communication between Hamas' military and political wings. Field commanders were granted more discretionary authority over operations and the political direction of the militant wing was weakened following the assassination of Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi.
The Hamas Shura Council (Arabic: Majlis al-Shura) is Hamas' main consultative body, with nearly 60 members, most in Gaza,[38] and the main body that governs Hamas. It is modeled after the Quranic idea of shura, or popular assembly, which Hamas officials claim allows for democracy within an Islamic framework. The General Consultative Council, whose members are chosen from local council groupings, replaced the Shura Council as the organization became increasingly intricate and Israeli pressure mounted. The 15 members of the Hamas Political Bureau (Arabic: Al-Maktab al-Siyasi) that decides matters for Hamas is chosen by the council. Representatives are drawn from Israeli prisoners, the West Bank, Gaza, and leaders living abroad. Up until January 2012, the Political Bureau was located in Damascus. However, due to Hamas' backing of the Syrian rebel against Bashar al-Assad during the civil war, the office had to relocate to Qatar.
Powers and duties
The chairman of Hamas Political Bureau was expected to rule over Hamas and all its components. However, there's some exception on its military operations, who have their own command from the military commanders.
Hamas closed its office in Damascus in 2012 after supporting the revolution against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Since then, Assad repeatedly denounced Hamas for betrayal and hypocrisy. Hamas announced in August 2023 that it intended to reopen its office in Syria.[39]
Office holder fate
Most of the leaders that led Hamas have been assassinated while in office. The founder, Ahmed Yassin was killed in March 2004, while his successor, Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi was assassinated 26 days later. Ismail Haniyeh, the 4th de facto leader of Hamas, was assassinated in July 2024 shortly after attending the inauguration ceremony of the President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian. Yahya Sinwar, the latest de facto leader of Hamas, was killed by Israel Defense Forces (IDF), alongside Mahmoud Hamdan, commander of the Tel Sultan Battalion and Hani Zaarab on 16 October 2024. Only Khaled Mashal has not been assassinated or killed, as of today.
List of leaders
This is the list of leaders of Hamas since its inception in December 1987.
No.
Portrait
Name (Birth–Death)
Term of office
Deputy (Time in office)
Ref.
Took office
Left office
Time in office
Chairman of the Hamas Shura Council رئيس مجلس شورى لحركة حماس(Arabic)
List of current members of political bureau of Hamas
The Politburo comprises 15 members elected by the Hamas Shura Council every four years. Until his death on 16 October 2024 it was headed by Yahya Sinwar, who replaced Ismail Haniyeh in August 2024 following the assassination of Haniyeh. In addition to the main Politburo, Hamas has regional political bureau elected by four regional shura council, representing the West Bank, Gaza, the diaspora / Palestinian abroad, and Israeli prisoners.
List of current members of main political bureau
This is the current list of the main political bureau of Hamas. All these members was elected since May 2017.[47]
↑ The first and second chairman of Hamas Shura Council resides in Gaza Strip, Palestine, before both of them were assassinated by an Israeli strike. They led the overall Hamas there, although the headquarter (HQ) of Hamas was moved to Amman, Jordan in 1992. The first and second leaders of Hamas led here until 2004, where the full power of Hamas leadership was transferred from chairman of Hamas Shura Council to chairman of Hamas Political Bureau.
↑ The first and second chairman of Hamas Political Bureau resides in Amman, Jordan. They also open their headquarter (HQ) there since the creation of this position in Hamas (Chairman of Hamas Political Bureau).
↑ However, on 8 November 2024, Hamas was asked by Qatar authorities to leave the country by the U.S. request following Hamas's rejection weeks ago of another hostage release proposal.[10][11]
↑ However, Khaled Mashal period as chairman of Hamas Political Bureau was extended twice.[12]
↑ The post will remain vacant until March 2025. Khalil al-Hayya, who served with Yahya Sinwar as the previous deputy chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau, was promoted to become a member of the quinquevirate leadership that will lead Hamas until the next election that will take place in March 2025.
↑ The name of the fifth member was not published by Hamas "for security reasons".[33]
↑ Al-Rantisi was named the new chairman of the Hamas Shura Council and covering duties as de-facto leader of Hamas after the assassination of Ahmed Yassin. However, he did not last long in holding that position when he was assassinatedwithin a month.
↑ No deputy chairman of the Hamas Shura Council and/or deputy leader of Hamas was appointed at this period of time.
↑ Mashal had been chairman of Hamas Political Bureau since 1996, following the imprisonment of his predecessor, Mousa Abu Marzook, in July 1995. The founder of Hamas, Ahmed Yassin, who also served as chairman of Hamas Shura Council, was designated as the leader of Hamas since its founding, to serve until his death. However, after his assassination in March 2004, the deputy chairman of the Shura Council, Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi, was appointed as the chairman of Hamas Shura Council and also the de-facto leader of Hamas. After a month, he was assassinated. Thereafter, Mashal took over the leadership of Hamas, and the position of chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau has been regarded as the overall and de-facto leader of Hamas since April 2004. The position of chairman of Hamas Shura Council was not abolished and still continues to lead the Hamas Shura Council, but not the whole of Hamas anymore, just like its predecessors (Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi) had designed.
↑ The post has remained vacant until Khalil al-Hayya selected as the new deputy chairman on 6 August 2024.
↑ The post will remain vacant until March 2025. Khalil al-Hayya, who served with Yahya Sinwar as the previous deputy chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau, was promoted to become a member of the quinquevirate leadership that will lead Hamas until the next election that will take place in March 2025.
The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas, is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islamist political organisation with a military wing called the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. It has governed the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip since 2007.
Mousa Mohammed Abu Marzook is a Palestinian politician and senior member of Hamas who served as the first chairman of Hamas Political Bureau from 1992 until 1996 and deputy chairman of Hamas Political Bureau from January 1997 until April 2013, where he was succeeded by Ismail Haniyeh.
The history of Hamas is an account of the Palestinian nationalist and Islamic fundamentalist socio-political organization with an associated paramilitary force, the Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades. Hamas (حماس) Ḥamās is an acronym of حركة المقاومة الاسلامية Ḥarakat al-Muqāwamat al-Islāmiyyah, meaning "Islamic Resistance Movement".
Hamas has governed the Gaza Strip in Palestine since its takeover of the region from rival party Fatah in June 2007. Hamas' government was led by Ismail Haniyeh from 2007 until February 2017, when Haniyeh was replaced as leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip by Yahya Sinwar. Until October 2024, Yahya Sinwar was the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In January 2024, due to the ongoing Israel–Hamas war, Israel said that Hamas lost control of most of the northern part of the Gaza Strip. In May 2024, Hamas regrouped in the north.
Ismail Haniyeh was a Palestinian politician who served as chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau from May 2017 until his assassination in July 2024. He also served as prime minister of the Palestinian National Authority from March 2006 until June 2014 and Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip from June 2007 until February 2017, where he was succeeded by Yahya Sinwar.
Khalil al-Hayya is a Palestinian politician who has served as the deputy chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau since August 2024, succeeding deceased Saleh al-Arouri. He also serving as one of the acting quinquevirate leadership of Hamas, alongside with Khaled Mashal, Zaher Jabarin, Muhammad Ismail Darwish, and an unnamed Hamas official after Yahya Sinwar was killed by the IDF in October 2024. He also was elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council since January 2006 as a representative of Gaza City.
Khaled Mashal is a Palestinian politician who served as the second chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau from 1996 until May 2017, when he was succeeded by Ismail Haniyeh. He has also covered duties as the acting leader of Hamas twice, from July 2024 until August 2024 and since October 2024, after both leaders were assassinated by Israel. He was regarded as one of the most prominent leaders of Hamas since the death of Ahmed Yassin, alongside Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar.
The Hamas government of October 2016 is a faction of the Palestinian government based in Gaza and is effectively the third Hamas-dominated government in the Gaza Strip since the takeover of Gaza by Hamas. On October 17, 2016, the Supreme Administrative Committee began the process of building progressive ministries in Gaza, reshuffled active ministries and repositioned 16 deputy ministers and director generals in government institutions. The government in Gaza is composed of deputy ministers, governors-general and other high-level officials linked directly to the Ramallah administration. Initially, it was speculated that the formation of the Hamas government in 2016 was an attempt by Ismail Haniyeh to return to full Hamas control of Gaza. As part of government reform, it was decided to expand the Ministry of Planning. The United States, Canada, the European Union, Japan and Israel classify Hamas as a state institution in Gaza associated with the PLO government and recognize the PLO government as the legitimate government of Gaza territory. The Hamas government is recognized by the Palestine State Administration in Ramallah.
Yahya Ibrahim Hassan Sinwar was a Palestinian militant and politician who served as chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau from August 2024, and as the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip from February 2017, until his death in October 2024, succeeding Ismail Haniyeh in both roles.
Qatar has been a key financial supporter of the Palestinian militant organization Hamas, transferring more than $1.8 billion to Hamas over the years. In consultation with the U.S. and Israeli governments, $30 million were transferred monthly to Hamas, according to a Qatari official interviewed by Der Spiegel in 2023.
As part of Turkey's objective to play a mediating role in the region, the country tries to be on speaking terms with both Israel and Hamas. From time to time, Israel has suggested Turkey to support Hamas, while in other cases it has opposed the support.
Mazen Muhammad Suleiman Faqha was a senior commander in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). He was sentenced by Israel to 9 life terms in 2003 for his involvement in the planning and execution of multiple terrorist acts beginning in 2001. He was released as part of the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange and deported to Gaza. After his release, he was one of the founders and leaders of Hamas' section in the West Bank.
Afghanistan–Palestine relations refer to diplomatic relations between Afghanistan and the State of Palestine.
The Hamas most wanted cards are decks of playing cards featuring pictures of Hamas members wanted by the State of Israel. The decks were produced by independent volunteers and were handed out to Israel Defense Forces soldiers during the early stages of the Israel–Hamas war.
Imad Khalil al-Alami, also known as Abu Hammam, was a senior official in Palestinian militant organization Hamas. One of the group's co-founders, he joined Hamas in the late 1980s. After being exiled in 1994, al-Alami became a key link between Gaza and the Syrian and Iranian governments, functioning as Hamas's first representative in Tehran.
On 31 July 2024, Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was assassinated along with his personal bodyguard in the Iranian capital Tehran by an apparent Israeli attack. Haniyeh was killed in his accommodation in a military-run guesthouse after attending the inauguration ceremony for Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian. Nasser Kanaani, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, condemned this assassination and said that Haniyeh's "blood will never be wasted".
The third battle of Khan Yunis was a battle in the Israel-Hamas war which began on 9 August 2024. The battle represented the third separate ground operation in Khan Yunis by Israel against Hamas-led Palestinian forces, following the first siege and a brief second battle in the city. Like the previous two battles, it ended in an Israeli withdrawal from Khan Yunis.
Zaher Jabarin is a Palestinian in exile and a member of the Political Bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). He is the head of the Office of Martyrs, Wounded, and Prisoners, and financial administrator in the Hamas Movement.
On 16 October 2024, during their operations in the Israel–Hamas war, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. His killing was the result of a routine patrol and a chance encounter in the southern Gazan city of Rafah. He had been one of Israel's most wanted men after the 7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel.
The Hamas temporary committee is a five-person ruling committee that was formed by Hamas following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh on 31 July 2024 to facilitate decision-making given the difficulty of communicating with the newly appointed chairman, Yahya Sinwar, who was based in the Gaza Strip. The committee is based in Doha, Qatar and is tasked with making strategic decisions and governing Hamas during the Israel–Hamas war and "exceptional circumstances". It is made up of five members, including Khaled Mashal, Khalil al-Hayya, Zaher Jabarin, who represent the Palestinian diaspora, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, respectively, as well as chairman of the Shura Council Muhammad Ismail Darwish, and an unnamed official who serves as secretary of the Political Bureau.
↑ Recknagel, Charles. "Iran: Expulsion From Jordan Only Temporary Setback For Hamas". Radio Free Europe. Retrieved 2024-08-08. For years, Amman and Damascus have been safe havens from which the most radical leaders of Hamas could operate beyond the reach of the Israeli and Palestinian Authority security services. But Jordan's recent closure of the Amman office of Hamas, the acronym of the Islamic Resistance Movement, now has changed that equation and set the group looking for new political bases and allies abroad.
↑ Cafiero, Giorgio. "Why Syria is So Silent About Hamas". Stimson. Retrieved 2024-08-08. Syria first became a state sponsor of Hamas in the 1990s. American and Israeli pressure had contributed to Jordan's decision to evict the Palestinian group's exiled political leadership from Amman in 1999, resulting in Hamas's external headquarters moving to Damascus in 2001 following a brief stay in Qatar. Damascus provided Hamas the freedom to train its militants on Syrian soil while the Syrian Ministry of Information became the venue for Hamas's exiled political leadership to hold press conferences. This support was one major reason why the U.S. State Department has kept Syria on its "state sponsors of terrorism" list for so many years.
↑ Cafiero, Giorgio. "Why Syria is So Silent About Hamas". Stimson. Retrieved 2024-08-08. But the Syrian government's relationship with Hamas drastically deteriorated after Hamas sided with Assad's opponents after the Arab Spring erupted in 2011. By February 2012, the Damascus-Hamas rift resulted in the resistance organization's politburo leaving Syria and relocating to Egypt and Qatar.
↑ Miller, Elhanan. "Cairo agrees to host Hamas headquarters, Arabic daily says". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2024-08-08. Less than one year after closing its headquarters in Damascus, Hamas's "outside" leadership has found a new home in the Egyptian capital of Cairo. Hamas leaders are split between Gaza, where they took violent control in 2007, the West Bank, where they seek to gain control, and elsewhere in the region. London-based daily Al-Hayat reported Tuesday that Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood administration has agreed to open a Hamas office in eastern Cairo and establish a joint committee with Hamas to discuss issues of security along the Gaza-Egypt border.
↑ "Hamas opens office in Cairo". Middle East Monitor. Retrieved 2024-08-08. The Egyptian government agreed to allow the Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, to open an office in Cairo and appoint a permanent representative there. Egyptian sources stated that the Hamas delegation currently visiting Cairo agreed with the Egyptian intelligence agency to appoint a representative for the movement in the Egyptian capital, who will act as a coordinator to discuss and deal with various issues. The agreement between the two sides stipulates that there will be permanent representation for the movement in Cairo in order to follow up on the movement's affairs, as well as the affairs of Gazans in Egypt.
↑ "Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal to step down from his position". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 August 2024. Abu Marzouk is expected to be in contention to succeed Meshaal, although Ismail Haniyeh, the de facto prime minister of Gaza, could also stand for the political leadership. The post is meant to be limited to two terms, although Meshaal's period at the helm was extended twice.
↑ "Khaled Mashal has taken over as the terrorist group's de facto leader". Israele.net (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-10-17. Translated to English: Following the killing of Yahya Sinwar, senior Hamas official Khaled Mashal (who is based in Qatar) has taken over as the terrorist group's de facto leader, who is also responsible for the hostage negotiations, Lebanese network LBCI reported Thursday evening, saying that Hamas has informed Turkey, Qatar and Egypt.
↑ Jha, Mausam. "How Benjamin Netanyahu boosted rise of Khaled Meshaal, likely new chief of Hamas". Mint. Retrieved 2024-08-03. Khaled Meshaal led Hamas from exile in Damascus from 2004 until early 2012, when he left due to President Bashar al-Assad's crackdown on Sunnis during the uprising. He now splits his time between Doha and Cairo.
↑ Sarah, El Debb. "The war in Gaza might complicate Haniyeh's replacement. Here are the possible contenders". Associate Press. Retrieved 2024-08-09. Haniyeh headed the group's political bureau until his death. His deputy was Saleh Arouri, who was killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut in January and would have been the automatic replacement. Arouri's post has remained empty since his death.
↑ Alshawabkeh, Lina. "Hamas: Who are the group's most prominent leaders?". BBC News. Retrieved 2024-08-08. Meshaal, who lives in Qatar, visited the Gaza Strip for the first time in 2012. He was received by Palestinian officials and crowds of Palestinians came out to welcome him. Hamas elected Ismail Haniyeh to succeed Meshaal as head of its political bureau in 2017, and Meshaal became head of the group's political bureau abroad.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
