| Chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau | |
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| Type | Political party office |
| Status | Political party leader |
| Member of | Hamas Shura Council of Hamas Political Bureau of Hamas |
| Residence | Gaza Strip,Palestine[note 3] (1987–2004) Amman,Jordan[note 4] (1992–1999)[1] Doha,Qatar (1999–2001)[2] Damascus,Syria (2001–2012)[3] Doha,Qatar (2012–2024) Cairo,Egypt (2012–2024)[4][5] Gaza Strip,Palestine[note 5] (2024) Doha,Qatar[note 6] (2024–present)[note 7] |
| Nominator | Political Bureau of Hamas |
| Appointer | Shura Council of Hamas |
| Term length | Four years, renewable (Two term limit)[note 8] |
| Constituting instrument | 1988 Hamas charter |
| Formation | 10 December 1987; 37 years ago (1987-12-10) 17 April 2004; 21 years ago (2004-04-17) |
| First holder | Ahmed Yassin (as the Chairman of the Hamas Shura Council) Khaled Mashal (as the Chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau) |
| Deputy | Vacant[note 9] (as the Deputy Chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau, since 16 October 2024) |
Thechairman of the Hamas Political Bureau (Arabic:رئيس المكتب السياسي لحركة حماس,romanized: Ra’īs al-Maktab as-Siasi li-Ḥarakat Ḥamās), also known as thechairman 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 ofHamas, aPalestinianSunniIslamist political and military organisation that has beengoverning most of theGaza Strip since2007. The position is currently vacant, following thekilling ofYahya Sinwar by theIsrael Defense Forces (IDF) on 16 October 2024 inRafah,Gaza Strip,Palestine. Thecouncil, handpicked by Sinwar in case of his death, leads Hamas until the next election, which was scheduled to take place in March 2025.[citation needed] The council consists ofKhaled Mashal,Khalil al-Hayya,Zaher Jabarin,Muhammad Ismail Darwish, and an unnamed senior member of Hamas.[9][10][11][12]
The chairman of theHamas Political Bureau is expected to oversee the organization and its various components, whilemilitary operations are managed separately by military commanders. Residing inDoha, Qatar, the chairman serves as a figurehead for Hamas duringPalestinian elections and becomes the central leader in the resistance againstIsraeli occupation. Additionally, he plays a crucial role inforeign relations, leading negotiations with Israeli officials regardingpeace processes,fostering reconciliation withFatah, and enhancing ties with otherMiddle Eastern countries.
Ahmed Yassin, the founder ofHamas, became the first chairman of the Hamas Shura Council andde facto leader of Hamas from December 1987 until March 2004. Following hisassassination, his deputy,Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi took over for only 26 days before he wasassassinated by Israel.
The chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau,Khaled Mashal, took over Hamas leadership; he was declared the overall andde facto leader of Hamas from April 2004. Although he had held this position from 1996, he was not the overall leader of Hamas: the chairman of the Hamas Shura Council at that time was considered to be the de facto leader. Hamas electedMousa 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 electedSaleh al-Arouri as the deputy chairman of Hamas Political Bureau. However, Al-Arouri wasassassinated by Israeli strike in January 2024. Six months later, Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran while attending for the inauguration ceremony of thePresident of Iran,Masoud Pezeshkian.[citation needed]
On 31 July 2024,Khaled Mashal was selected as the acting chairman of Hamas Political Bureau until the new leader was elected.[13][14] Mashal, the then-chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau, was expected to lead Hamas again.[15]
On 5 August 2024,Muhammad Ismail Darwish was expected to become the next chairman of Hamas Political Bureau.[16][17][18][19] Before this, he serving as the chairman of the Hamas Shura Council from October 2023, succeededOsama 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 theassassination 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".[20][21]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.
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On 16 October 2024, Sinwar waskilled after leading Hamas for only two and a half months.[22]
In the aftermath,Khaled Mashal was performing duties again as actingde facto leader of Hamas, for the second time, until the new leader was elected.[23][24][25][26]
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:[27][28]
The Hamas official indicated thatKhalil al-Hayya has assumed responsibility for most political andforeign affairs in addition to his direct oversight of Gaza-related matters and is effectively the acting de facto leader of Hamas.[31]
There were a number of potential successors, includingKhaled Mashal, second chairman of Hamas Political Bureau from 1996 until 2017,Mohammed Sinwar, brother ofYahya Sinwar and one of the leaders of theEzzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades,Zaher Jabarin, current Hamas leader in theWest Bank, andKhalil al-Hayya, current deputy chairman of Hamas Political Bureau since 2024 and longtime deputy of Yahya Sinwar in Gaza Strip.[32][33][34]
In May 2025, Mohammed Sinwar, the new military leader of Hamas in Gaza, waskilled by Israeli military.[35]
Hamas inherited a tripartite organization of social services, religious instruction, andmilitary operations overseen by a Shura Council. It used to have four different roles:
Hamas is led both internally, in theWest Bank and theGaza Strip, and externally, by two groups: Kuwaiti organization (Kuwaidi), led byKhaled Mashal, and a Gaza group led byMousa Abu Marzook, who was exiled first toDamascus and subsequently toEgypt. Following its leader Mashal's decision to demand thatIraq withdraw from Kuwait and defyYasser Arafat's decision to supportSaddam 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 ofHamas.
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 followingthe assassination ofAbdel Aziz al-Rantisi.
The Shura Council (Arabic:Majlis al-Shura), with nearly 60 members, most in Gaza, is Hamas' highest consultative body, overseeing the election of the 15-member Political Bureau (Arabic:Al-Maktab al-Siyasi).[36][37] It is modeled after theQuranic idea ofshura, orpopular assembly, which Hamas officials claim allows fordemocracy 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.[citation needed]
The chairman of Hamas Political Bureau was expected to rule over Hamas and all its components. However, there's some exception on itsmilitary operations, who have their own military command.
The chairman also led the negotiations forHamas foreign relations such as negotiations withIsraeli government officials forpeace process,reconciliation process withFatah and strengthen relations withother countries in theMiddle East.
At Hamas's inception, he[who?] was in theGaza Strip,Palestine before relocating toAmman,Jordan from 1992 to 1997 after theassassination of the group's second chairman. After that, they moved toDamascus,Syria due to conflict with KingHussein of Jordan. He resided there from 1997 until 2012.[citation needed]
Hamas closed its office in Damascus in 2012 after supporting therevolution against Syrian PresidentBashar al-Assad. Assad repeatedly denounced Hamas for betrayal and hypocrisy. Hamas announced in August 2023 that it intended to reopen its office in Syria.[38]
Hamas's political leadership has resided inDoha, Qatar, since 2012, in an arrangement supported by the United States. In 2024, Hamas explored moving its political headquarters to another country, such as Oman, amidst pressure from the United States and Israel over Qatar's failure to use its leverage with Hamas to facilitate a ceasefire deal to theGaza war.[39]
The previous chairman,Yahya Sinwar, led Hamas fromGaza Strip,Palestine, since he also led theHamas government in theGaza Strip. Sinwar was the first chairman of Hamas Political Bureau to reside inGaza Strip, doing so while theGaza war was ongoing. The chairman of Hamas Political Bureau usually lived outside theGaza Strip, due to the security reasons.
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) | |||||||
| 1 | .jpg) | Ahmed Yassin أحمد ياسين (1936–2004) | 10 December 1987 | 22 March 2004 X | 16 years, 103 days | Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi عبد العزيز الرنتيسي (10 December 1987 – 22 March 2004) | |
| 2 | .png) | Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi عبد العزيز الرنتيسي (1947–2004) [note 12] | 22 March 2004 | 17 April 2004 X | 26 days | Vacant (22 March 2004 – 17 April 2004) [note 13] | |
| Chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau رئيس المكتب السياسي لحركة حماس (Arabic) | |||||||
| 3 | .jpg) | Khaled Mashal خالد مشعل (born 1956) [note 14] | 17 April 2004 | 6 May 2017 | 13 years, 19 days | Mousa Abu Marzook موسى أبو مرزوق (17 April 2004 – 4 April 2013) | [40] |
| Ismail Haniyeh إسماعيل هنية (4 April 2013 – 6 May 2017)[41] | |||||||
| 4 | .jpg) | Ismail Haniyeh إسماعيل هنية (c. 1962–2024) | 6 May 2017 | 31 July 2024 X | 7 years, 86 days | Saleh al-Arouri صالح العاروري (9 October 2017 –2 January 2024) X[42] | |
| Vacant (2 January 2024 – 6 August 2024) [note 15] | |||||||
| – | | Khaled Mashal خالد مشعل (born 1956) Acting | 31 July 2024 | 6 August 2024 | 6 days | [43][44] | |
| 5 |  | Yahya Sinwar يحيى السنوار (1962–2024) | 6 August 2024 | 16 October 2024 † | 71 days | Khalil al-Hayya خليل الحية (6 August 2024 – 16 October 2024) | |
| – | | Temporary committee leadership قيادة اللجنة المؤقتة [note 1] Acting | 16 October 2024 | Incumbent | 1 year, 41 days | Vacant (16 October 2024 – present) [note 9] | [49][50] |
This is the timeline of leaders of Hamas since its inception in December 1987.
This is the timeline of deputy leaders of Hamas since its inception in December 1987.
This is the incomplete list of chairman of Hamas Shura Council since 1987.
 |
| No. | Chairman of Hamas Shura Council | Took office | Left office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ahmed Yassin | 10 December 1987 | 22 March 2004 |
| 2. | Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi | 22 March 2004 | 17 April 2004 |
| 3. | ??? | 17 April 2004 | ??? |
| 4. | Osama Mazini | ??? | 16 October 2023 |
| 5. | Muhammad Ismail Darwish | 17 October 2023 | Incumbent |
This is the incomplete list of chairman of Hamas Political Bureau since 1992.[note 16]
|
| No. | Chairman of Hamas Political Bureau | Took office | Left office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Mousa Abu Marzook | 1992 | 1996 |
| 2. | Khaled Mashal | 1996 | 6 May 2017 |
| 3. | Ismail Haniyeh | 6 May 2017 | 31 July 2024 |
| 4. | Yahya Sinwar | 6 August 2024 | 16 October 2024 |
| 5. | ??? | ??? | Incumbent |
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.[citation needed]
This is the current list of the main political bureau of Hamas. All these members was elected since May 2017.[51]
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This is the current list of the Hamas political bureau in the Gaza Strip. All these members were elected since March 2021.[52][53]
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List of the political bureau of Hamas in the West Bank elected since May 2017.[54][55]
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This is the current list of the political bureau of Hamas in the Diaspora / Palestinian Abroad. All these members was elected since May 2017.[56]
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This is the current[when?] list of the political bureau of Hamas in Israeli prisons. All these members was elected since May 2017.[57]
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| No. | Name | Took office | Left office | Cause of death |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Saleh al-Arouri | June–August 1991 | 1993 | Assassinated by airstrike in 2024 |
| 2. | Emad Akel | 1993 | 24 November 1993 | Assassinated by IDF |
| 3. | Yahya Ayyash | November–December 1993 | 5 January 1996 | Assassinated by airstrike |
| 4. | Adel Awadallah | January–March 1996 | 10 September 1998 | Assassinated byYamam |
| 5. | Salah Shehade | September–December 1998 | 22 July 2002 | Assassinated by airstrike[58] |
| 6. | Mohammed Deif | July–September 2002[59] | 13 July 2024 | Assassinated by airstrike[60] |
| 7. | Mohammed Sinwar | 16 October 2024[61] | 13 May 2025 | Assassinated by airstrike[62] |
| 8. | Izz al-Din al-Haddad | 13 May 2025[note 20] | Incumbent |
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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