![Palestinian people gather at Al-Katiba Square during an event held to mark the 30th anniversary of Hamas, on December 14, 2017 in Gaza City, Gaza [Ali Jadallah / Anadolu Agency]](https://fsn1.your-objectstorage.com/devlo-cms/quds/uploads/2026/05/file_6a08d2c8af18d.jpeg)
Occupied Palestine (QNN)- Hamas resistance movement announced on Saturday evening that it has launched an internal election process to select a new head of its political bureau, following the killing of its former leadership in the ongoing Gaza genocide.
In a brief statement, Hamas said the first round of voting did not produce a decisive result. The movement confirmed that a second round will take place later in line with its internal regulations and governing system.
The leadership vote comes as Hamas works to fill key vacancies left after a series of Israeli assassinations targeting senior figures during the genocide in Gaza.
The election is expected to choose a successor to Yahya Sinwar, who assumed leadership of the movement after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in July 2024. Sinwar later was killed in an Israeli attack in Rafah in southern Gaza in October 2024.
Sources previously told Agence France-Presse that the competition for the top position is narrowing between senior leaders Khaled Meshaal and Khalil al-Hayya.
Hamas official Taher al-Nounou said earlier that the movement had already begun completing internal elections to fill leadership gaps created by Israeli strikes. He stressed that the results will be announced transparently once the process is fully completed.
Al-Nounou explained that Israeli assassinations forced Hamas to activate its internal “consultative and silent election” system to restore its leadership structure under wartime conditions.
He added that Hamas does not rely on open individual candidacy. Instead, all members of the relevant leadership council qualify as potential nominees, while the final decision rests with internal voting mechanisms.
According to him, some leadership positions have already been addressed, but the election committee remains responsible for announcing the final outcome once all procedures conclude. He said the process continues under complex battlefield and political conditions across Gaza.
