The chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau (), also known as the chairman of the Hamas Shura Council () from 1987 until 2004, is the overall and de facto leader of Hamas, a Palestinian Sunni Islamist political and military organisation that has been governing the Gaza Strip since 2007. The position is currently held by Khalil al-Hayya, who was elected in July 2026.
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. The chairman serves as a figurehead for Hamas during Palestinian elections and becomes the central leader in the operations 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.
History
Ahmed Yassin, the founder of Hamas, became the first chairman of the Hamas Shura Council and de facto leader of Hamas from December 1987 until March 2004. Following his assassination, his deputy, Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi took over for only 26 days before he was assassinated by Israel.
The chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau, Khaled Mashal, took over Hamas leadership; he was declared the overall and de 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 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 an 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. Mashal, the then-chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau, was expected to lead Hamas again.
On 5 August 2024, Muhammad Ismail Darwish was expected to become the next chairman of Hamas Political Bureau. 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". 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.
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.
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: Khaled Mashal, second chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau (1996–2017) and current chairman of Hamas Political Bureau in the Diaspora / Palestinian Abroad (2017–present) Khalil al-Hayya, current deputy chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau (2024) and current chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau in the Gaza Strip (2017–present) Zaher Jabarin, current chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau in the West Bank (2024–present) Muhammad Ismail Darwish, current chairman of Hamas Shura Council (2023–present) Unknown, known to be as the current secretary of the Hamas Political Bureau
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.
There were a number of potential successors, including Khaled Mashal, second chairman of Hamas Political Bureau from 1996 until 2017, Mohammed Sinwar, brother of Yahya Sinwar and one of the leaders of the Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades, Zaher Jabarin, current Hamas leader in the West Bank, and Khalil al-Hayya, current deputy chairman of Hamas Political Bureau since 2024 and longtime deputy of Yahya Sinwar in Gaza Strip.
In May 2025, Mohammed Sinwar, the new military leader of Hamas in Gaza, was killed by Israeli military.
In July 2026, Khalil al-Hayya was elected as the new chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau and de facto leader of Hamas, after defeating Khaled Mashal in a narrow margin vote of 35 to 34.
Structure of organisation and selection 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: a security service (Arabic: Jehaz Aman); a military division for acquiring weapons and conducting operations (Arabic: Al-Mujahideen al Filastinun); a charitable social welfare division (Arabic: Dawah); and a media branch (Arabic: A'alam). 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 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). 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.
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 military command.
The chairman also led the negotiations for Hamas foreign relations such as negotiations with Israeli government officials for peace process, reconciliation process with Fatah and strengthen relations with other countries in the Middle East.
Location At Hamas's inception, Mashal was in the Gaza Strip, Palestine before relocating to Amman, Jordan from 1992 to 1997 after the assassination of the group's second chairman. After that, they moved to Damascus, Syria due to conflict with King Hussein of Jordan. He resided there from 1997 until 2012.
Hamas closed its office in Damascus in 2012 after supporting the revolution against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Assad repeatedly denounced Hamas for betrayal and hypocrisy. Hamas announced in August 2023 that it intended to reopen its office in Syria.
Hamas's political leadership has resided in Doha, 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 the Gaza war.
The previous chairman, Yahya Sinwar, led Hamas from Gaza Strip, Palestine, since he also led the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip. Sinwar was the first chairman of Hamas Political Bureau to reside in Gaza Strip, doing so while the Gaza war was ongoing. The chairman of Hamas Political Bureau usually lived outside the Gaza Strip, due to the security reasons.
List of leaders This is the list of leaders of Hamas since its inception in December 1987.
Portrait Name Term of office Deputy(Time in office) Took office Left office Time in office Chairman of the Hamas Shura Council 1 Ahmed Yassin 10 December 1987 22 March 2004 Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi(10 December 1987 – 22 March 2004) 2 Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi 22 March 2004 17 April 2004 Vacant(22 March 2004 – 17 April 2004) Chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau 3 Khaled Mashal 17 April 2004 6 May 2017 Mousa Abu Marzook(17 April 2004 – 4 April 2013) Ismail Haniyeh(4 April 2013 – 6 May 2017) 4 Ismail Haniyeh 6 May 2017 31 July 2024 Saleh al-Arouri(9 October 2017 – 2 January 2024) Vacant(2 January 2024 – 6 August 2024) – Khaled Mashal 31 July 2024 6 August 2024 5 Yahya Sinwar 6 August 2024 16 October 2024 Khalil al-Hayya(6 August 2024 – 16 October 2024) – Temporary committee leadership 16 October 2024 20 July 2026 Vacant(16 October 2024 – 20 July 2026) 6 Khalil al-Hayya 20 July 2026 Incumbent Vacant(20 July 2026 – present)
Timeline 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.
List of chairmen of shura council and political bureau of Hamas List of chairmen of shura council This is the incomplete list of chairman of Hamas Shura Council since 1987.
No. Name Took office Left office Time in office 1. Ahmed Yassin 10 December 1987 22 March 2004 2. Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi 22 March 2004 17 April 2004 3. Unknown (likely Nizar Awadallah) 17 April 2004 16 March 2021 4. Osama Mazini 16 March 2021 16 October 2023 5. Muhammad Ismail Darwish 17 October 2023 Incumbent
List of chairmen of political bureau This is the incomplete list of chairman of Hamas Political Bureau since 1992. No. Name Took office Left office Time in 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. Khalil al-Hayya 20 July 2026 Incumbent
List of deputy chairmen of political bureau This is the incomplete list of deputy chairman of Hamas Political Bureau since 1997. No. Name Took office Left office Time in office 1. Mousa Abu Marzook 15 January 1997 4 April 2013 2. Ismail Haniyeh 4 April 2013 6 May 2017 3. Saleh al-Arouri 9 October 2017 2 January 2024 4. Khalil al-Hayya 6 August 2024 16 October 2024 5. Vacant –
List of current members of political bureau of Hamas