He was a member of a five-man council that led Hamas for almost two years.
Now, Khalil al-Hayya has been appointed to head the Palestinian group, which he joined when it was founded four decades ago.
- list 1 of 3Gaza residents weigh in on election of new Hamas leader
- list 2 of 3Who is Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’s newly elected political chief?
- list 3 of 3Hamas’s new leader must bridge a movement divided over Iran
end of list
He’s survived a number of Israeli assassination attempts and been detained many times.
More recently, he led Palestinian delegations in negotiations to end Israel’s war on Gaza.
Al-Hayya takes control as Hamas comes under increasing pressure to cede power – and as more than two million Palestinians are still enduring near-daily Israeli attacks, despite a formal ceasefire.
So, how will Hamas’s new leader navigate the realities on the ground?
Presenter: James Bays
Guests:
Ibrahim Fraihat – Professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies
Muhammad Shehada – Senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations
Max Rodenbeck – Israel/Palestine Project Director at the International Crisis Group
Related News
Toronto engulfed by wildfire smoke as US cities threatened
Yemen gov’t says its forces attacked Sanaa airport
Trump vows to help Lebanon but offers no timeline for Israeli withdrawal
