The Walking Dead: Hamas Leadership

By Rohan Gunaratna

Did Hamas Leaders Survive?

It is likely that Hamas’s chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, top official Khaled Mashaal, and Hamas West Bank leader Zaher Jabarin – survived the Israeli attack in Doha, Qatar on September 9, 2025. If they did survive, the long arm of Israel will eliminate them in the coming months and years.

Mourners carried the bodies of those killed by an Israeli attack in Doha during a funeral at the Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Wahhab Mosque in Doha on September 11, 2025. One coffin bore a Qatari flag and five others bore the Palestinian flags. Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim ibn Hamad Al Thani attended the funeral. The dead were buried in the Mesaimeer Cemetery.

The Israeli air strike on the Hamas safe house in Doha maintained by the Qatari security service was a Shin Bet-led military operation. Israel’s strategic, bold and unprecedented move demonstrated continuity of Israeli policy since Golda Mire when she authorised the MOSSAD to assassinate those who killed the Israeli athletes in the Munich Olympics in 1972.

Who was killed?

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said he could not confirm Hamas chief negotiator Khalil Hayya’s fate. Hamas said five of its members were killed – top negotiator Khalil al-Hayya’s son Hamam, his office director Jihad Labad and bodyguards Ahmad Mamlouk, Abdallah Abdelwahd and Mumen Hassoun. Qatari Lance Corporal Badr Saad Mohammed al-Humaidi al-Dosari was also killed. Hamas official Fawzi Barhoum said Hayya’s wife, his slain son’s wife and his granchildren were wounded in the attack on the compound where he lived. Qatar allowed Hamas to set up a political office in Doha in 2012 with the blessing of the United States, which has sought to maintain a communication channel with the group.

Since October 2024, Hamas leadership has been based in Doha. After leading Hamas for only two and a half months Yahya Sinwar was killed on October 16, 2024. His successor, Khaled Mashal was the acting leader of Hamas for the second time until the new leader was elected. Aware of the threat to a single leader, Yahya 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:

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.

Since May 2025, after Mohammed Sinwar, the brother of Yahya was killed in Gaza by the Israeli military, Hamas field commanders was guided by the council based in Doha. As there was no willingness by the Hamas leadership based in Doha for a comprehensive agreement to release all the living and dead hostages, Israel was determined to decapitate them. 

On Sep 11, 2025, President Trump hosted at the White House the brother of the kidnapped Evitar David and the captivity survivors Ohad Veraz and Ben Ami, declaring to them: “Committed to bringing everyone back”. Hostage taking is practiced by a number of terrorist groups but none to the extent of Hamas.

Hostage families in US White House, Sept 11, 2025
Netanyahu speech on Sept 11 2025

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on September 10, 2025 said: “I say to Qatar and to all the countries that provide shelter for terrorists: either expel them or bring them to justice. Because if you don’t do it, we will.” “Tomorrow is September 11. We remember September 11. On that day, Islamist terrorists committed the worst crime on American soil since the founding of the United States. We also have our September 11. We remember October 7. On that day, Islamist terrorists committed the worst crime against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. What did America do after September 11? It vowed to hunt down the terrorists who carried out that terrible crime, wherever they may be. And it also passed a resolution in the UN Security Council, two weeks later, stating that governments cannot provide sanctuary to terrorists. Well, yesterday we acted accordingly. We pursued the masterminds of terror who carried out the October 7 massacre. And we did so in Qatar, which shelters them, which provides refuge to terrorists, which funds Hamas, which gives its terrorist leaders luxurious villas, which gives them everything. So we did exactly what America did when it pursued the al-Qaeda terrorists in Afghanistan and when it went and killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. Now, various countries of the world are condemning Israel. They should be ashamed of themselves. What did they do after America eliminated Osama bin Laden? Did they say, ‘Oh, what a terrible thing has been done to Afghanistan or to Pakistan?’ No—they applauded. They should applaud Israel for standing on the same principles and acting on them. And I say to Qatar and to all the countries that provide shelter for terrorists: either expel them or bring them to justice. Because if you don’t do it, we will.”

Qatar’s Diplomatic Efforts

Qatar has played a vital role in the negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Of the 251 people kidnapped by Hamas from Israel during the terrorist attack on October 7, 2023 terror attacks, Israeli government says that 49 of them are still held captive inside Gaza. Some 28 have been declared dead. There is one additional hostage whose body was held in Gaza before the October 7 attacks. An IDF soldier, he was killed in Hamas captivity in 2014.

Since the start of the war, 148 hostages have been returned alive to Israel – 140 were released and eight were rescued by the Israeli military. Several bodies of deceased hostages were also returned by Hamas.

In keeping with its policy, Qatar’s efforts enable the release of most of the 251 Israeli and foreign hostages held by Hamas and its allies since October 7, 2023. Only 49 hostages both living and dead remain in Gaza in areas under the control of Hamas and its allies.

The Israeli attack on Hamas safe house drew widespread condemnation.

Qatar will convene an emergency Arab-Islamic summit to discuss Israel’s attack to shape a collective regional response. The summit will take place in Doha on September 14-15, 2025. The United Arab Emirates said “any aggression against a Gulf Cooperation Council member state constitutes an attack on the collective Gulf security framework”.

The announcement came as the United Nations Security Council opened an emergency session on September 11 to discuss the attack, which was delayed a day to allow the Qatari prime minister to attend the meeting.

Security Council statement on Qatar attack by Israel

Israeli Targets

At the funeral in Doha of the five Hamas members and the Qatari security officer killed in a strike, Hamas official Osama Hamdan, who is usually based in Lebanon, and politburo member, Izzat al-Rishq, who resides in Qatar were identified. The two appeared in photos published by Hamas.

Among the Hamas leaders at the funeral were Osama Hamdan and Izzat al-Rishq

Other Hamas senior leaders –Hamas’s chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, top official Khaled Mashaal, and Hamas West Bank leader Zaher Jabarin – were not seen at the funeral.

Israel Defense Minister in response to attack in Qatar

Israeli Thinking

Israel believes that punishment should follow crime. The Hamas led October 7, 2023 massacre and hostage taking is driving Israeli thinking and actions. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seemed undeterred, threatening further attacks on Qatar.

“I say to Qatar and all nations who harbour terrorists, you either expel them or you bring them to justice. Because if you don’t, we will.”

Israel has assassinated many of Hamas’s top military and political leaders in the last two years, such as top political leader Yahya Sinwar; military commander Mohammed Deif, one of the founders of the Qassam Brigades in the 1990s; and political chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Iran’s capital, Tehran.

Israel Ambassador to US on Qatar attack

Sep 10, 2025 Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter, in an interview: “If we didn’t eliminate Hamas’s senior leaders this time, we will eliminate them next time. Right now, there is some criticism toward us, but they (the critics) will get over it…”

Decimation and Dismantling Hamas

In response to the Hamas attack on Israel of October 7, 2023, Israel has started to dismantle Hamas and other threat groups in Gaza. Following Israel’s decimation of the rank and file policy, only two battalions of Hamas remains Gaza. In the Gaza Strip, Az al-Din Haddad, a 55-year-old Hamas member leads the organization. From the founding generation of leaders, Haddad was formerly commander of northern Gaza for Hamas’ military wing. After the killing of Mohammed Sinwar in May 2025, he has been regarded as his successor. Mohammed Sinwar is the brother of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, killed in October 2024. In keeping with its policy, the remaining leaders of Hamas will also be killed by Israel.

Israel’s policy of decapitation of terrorist leaders has continued over four decades. Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder of Hamas, was assassinated after he 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 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 July 31, 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 was serving as the chairman of the Hamas Shura Council from October 2023, succeeded Osama Mazini, after his killing by Israel on 16 October 16, 2023.

However, on August 6, 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.

The apex position of Hamas chairman of the Hamas Shura Council had been vacant after the killing of Yahya Sinwar by the IDF in Rafah, Gaza Strip. The council, handpicked by Sinwar in case of his death, leads Hamas until the next election. The council consists of Khaled Mashal, Khalil al-Hayya, Zaher Jabarin, Muhammad Ismail Darwish, and an unnamed senior member of Hamas. Due the Israeli threat, it is very likely that Hamas apex leadership will be kept a secret in the foreseeable future.

The Future

In the foreseeable future, Israeli is likely to assassinate not only Hamas but leaders of other Palestinian terrorist groups overseas. While Israel’s secures Gaza Strip, Jerusalem will focus on targeting the rank and file of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and other groups located in the Middle East and beyond. While the PIJ has a presence in Egypt, Hamas has offices in Iran, Turkey, Malaysia.

Before Hamas established a presence in the Palestinian Territories and overseas, the Muslim Brotherhood established a presence directly and through it’s sympathetic entities. Hamas is the Palestinian Branch of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB). Founded in the 1920s, the MB is a global movement that has influenced and infiltrated governments, political parties, religious bodies, educational institutions, charities and the media. As the MB is the foundational ideology of Hamas, Al Qaeda, Islamic State and other threat groups, the U.S. is planning is designate MB in the foreseeable future!

Rohan Gunaratna is editor of the Handbook of Terrorism in the Middle East

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