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 The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...

, a

Palestinian Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous p ...

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

Islamist political and military organisation that has been governing most of the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...

since

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

. The position is currently vacant, following the killing of

Yahya Sinwar Yahya Ibrahim Hassan Sinwar (; 29 October 1962 – 16 October 2024) was a Palestinian militant and politician who served as chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau from August 2024, and as the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip from February ...

by the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

(IDF) on 16 October 2024 in

Rafah Rafah ( ) is a city in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestine, and the capital of the Rafah Governorate. It is located south-west of Gaza City. In 2017, Rafah had a population of 171,889. Due to the Gaza war, about 1.4 million people from Gaza C ...

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

. The

council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

, handpicked by Sinwar in case of his death, leads Hamas until the next election, scheduled to take place in March 2025. The council consists of

Khaled Mashal Khaled Mashal (, ; born 28 May 1956) is a Palestinian politician who served as the second chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau from 1996 until May 2017, when he was succeeded by Ismail Haniyeh. He has also covered duties as the acting lea ...

, Khalil al-Hayya, Zaher Jabarin, Muhammad Ismail Darwish, and an unnamed senior member of Hamas. The chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau is expected to oversee the organization and its various components, while

military operations A military operation (op) is the coordinated military actions of a state, or a non-state actor, in response to a developing situation. These actions are designed as a military plan to resolve the situation in the state or actor's favor. Operatio ...

are managed separately by military commanders. Residing in

Doha Doha ( ) is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor and Lusail, it is home to most of the country's population. It ...

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

, the chairman serves as a figurehead for Hamas during Palestinian elections and becomes the central leader in the resistance against

Israeli occupation Israel has occupied the Golan Heights of Syria and the Palestinian territories since the Six-Day War of 1967. It has previously occupied the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt and southern Lebanon as well. Prior to 1967, control of the Palestinian terr ...

. Additionally, he plays a crucial role in

foreign relations Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...

, leading negotiations with Israeli officials regarding peace processes, fostering reconciliation with

Fatah Fatah ( ; ), formally the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (), is a Palestinian nationalist and Arab socialist political party. It is the largest faction of the confederated multi-party Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and ...

, and enhancing ties with other

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

ern countries.

History

Ahmed Yassin Sheikh Ahmed Ismail Hassan Yassin (; June 1936 – 22 March 2004) was a Palestinian politician and imam who founded Hamas, an Islamist political and military organization. He also served as the first chairman of the Hamas Shura Council and ...

, the founder of

, became the first chairman of the Hamas Shura Council and de facto leader of Hamas from December 1987 until March 2004. Following his

assassination Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

, 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,

, 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 Ismail Haniyeh (, ; 29 January 1962 – 31 July 2024) was a Palestinian politician who served as third chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau from May 2017 until Assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, his assassination in July 2024. He also served as ...

, 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 Saleh Muhammad Sulayman al-Arouri (; 19 August 1966 – 2 January 2024), also transliterated as Salah al-Arouri or Salih al-Aruri, was a Palestinian politician and senior leader of Hamas who served as List of leaders of Hamas, deputy chairman o ...

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 The president of the Islamic Republic of Iran () is the head of government of the Iran, Islamic Republic of Iran and the second highest-ranking official, after the Supreme Leader of Iran, supreme leader. The 1980 Iranian presidential election, fi ...

Masoud Pezeshkian Masoud Pezeshkian (, ; born 29 September 1954) is an Iranian politician and physician who has been serving as the ninth president of Iran since 28 July 2024. Pezeshkian served as governor of Piranshahr and Naghadeh counties and was elected to ...

. On 31 July 2024,

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,

was officially appointed as the next chairman of Hamas Political Bureau and de facto leader of Hamas, six days after the

of his predecessor,

. 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,

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: *

, second chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau (1996–2017) * Khalil al-Hayya, current deputy chairman of Hamas Political Bureau (2024) and Hamas Political Bureau in the Gaza Strip (2017–present) * Zaher Jabarin, current chairman of 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 ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit organization, nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership or ...

in addition to his direct oversight of Gaza-related matters and is effectively the acting de facto leader of Hamas. There were many potential successor for future Hamas leader, including

, second chairman of Hamas Political Bureau from 1996 until 2017, Mohammed Sinwar, brother of

and one of the leaders of the Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades, Zaher Jabarin, current Hamas leader in the

West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

, and Khalil al-Hayya, current deputy chairman of Hamas Political Bureau since 2024 and longtime deputy of Yahya Sinwar in Gaza Strip.

Structure of organisation and selection

Hamas inherited a tripartite organization of social services, religious instruction, and

overseen by a Shura Council. It used to have four different roles: * a security service (

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: ''Jehaz Aman''); * a military division for acquiring weapons and conducting operations (

: ''Al-Mujahideen al Filastinun''); * a charitable social welfare division (

: ''Dawah''); and * a media branch (

: ''A'alam''). Hamas is led both internally, in the

and the

, and externally, by two groups: Kuwaiti organization (''Kuwaidi''), led by

, and a Gaza group led by Mousa Abu Marzook, who was exiled first to

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

and subsequently to

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. Following its leader Mashal's decision to demand that Iraq withdraw from Kuwait and defy

Yasser Arafat Yasser Arafat (4 or 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), also popularly known by his Kunya (Arabic), kunya Abu Ammar, was a Palestinian political leader. He was chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from 1969 to 2004, Presid ...

's decision to support

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...

in the invasion, the Kuwaiti group of Palestinian exiles started to receive substantial money from the Gulf States.

was selected by the Hamas Shura Council in May 2017 to succeed Mashal as the leader of

. 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 Hamas Shura Council (

: ''Majlis al-Shura'') is Hamas' main consultative body, with nearly 60 members, most in Gaza, and the main body that governs Hamas. It is modeled after the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

ic idea of

shura Shura () is the term for collective decision-making in Islam. It can, for example, take the form of a council or a referendum. The Quran encourages Muslims to decide their affairs in consultation with each other. Shura is mentioned as a praise ...

, or

popular assembly A popular assembly (or people's assembly) is a gathering called to address issues of importance to participants. Popular assemblies tend to be freely open to participation, in contrast to elected assemblies and randomly-selected citizens' as ...

, 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. The 15 members of the Hamas Political Bureau (

: ''Al-Maktab al-Siyasi'') that decides matters for Hamas is chosen by the council. Representatives are drawn from Israeli prisoners, the

, Gaza, and leaders living abroad. Up until January 2012, the Political Bureau was located in

. However, due to Hamas' backing of the Syrian rebel against

Bashar al-Assad Bashar al-Assad (born 11September 1965) is a Syrian politician, military officer and former dictator Sources characterising Assad as a dictator: who served as the president of Syria from 2000 until fall of the Assad regime, his government ...

during the

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, the office had to relocate to

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

, who have their own command from the military commanders. The chairman will become the figurehead and lead the party in all Palestinian elections (

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The p ...

and legislative election). He will become the central figure for Hamas resistance against

Israeli-occupied territories Israel has occupied the Golan Heights of Syria and the Palestinian territories since the Six-Day War of 1967. It has previously occupied the Israeli occupation of the Sinai Peninsula, Sinai Peninsula of Egypt and southern Lebanon as well. Prio ...

all over the world, contrasting to their opposite political party,

which kind of moderate one. The chairman also led the negotiations for Hamas foreign relations such as negotiations with Israeli government officials for

peace process A peace process is the set of political sociology, sociopolitical negotiations, agreements and actions that aim to solve a specific armed conflict. Definitions Prior to an armed conflict occurring, peace processes can include the prevention of ...

, reconciliation process with

and strengthen relations with other countries in the

Residence

The residences of the leader changes over time. At inception, he resided in

. Due to their security after the assassination of their second chairman, the residence was changed to

Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

from 1992 until 1997. After that, they moving to

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

due to conflict with King

Hussein of Jordan Hussein bin Talal (14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 1952 until Death and state funeral of King Hussein, his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemites, Hashemite dynasty, the royal family of Jordan since 1921, Hu ...

. He resided there from 1997 until 2012. After their headquarter (HQ) was closed by

Syrian government The government of Syria takes place in a presidential system and is currently in a transitionary period under and led by a transitional government. The seat of the government is located in Damascus, Syria. On 8 December 2024, after the succ ...

amid their support for

Syrian opposition Syrians () are the majority inhabitants of Syria, indigenous to the Levant, most of whom have Arabic, especially its Levantine and Mesopotamian dialects, as a mother tongue. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend ...

in the Syrian civil war, the chairman moved to

from 2012 until 2024. The previous chairman,

, led Hamas from

, since he also led the Hamas government in the

. Sinwar was the first chairman of Hamas Political Bureau to reside in

, doing so while the

Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...

was ongoing. The chairman of Hamas Political Bureau usually lived outside the

, due to the security reasons. Hamas closed its office in Damascus in 2012 after supporting the

revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...

against Syrian President

. Since then, Assad repeatedly denounced Hamas for betrayal and hypocrisy. Hamas announced in August 2023 that it intended to reopen its office in Syria.

Office holder fate

Most of the leaders that led

have been assassinated while in office. The founder,

was killed in March 2004, while his successor, Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi was

assassinated Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

26 days later.

, the 4th de facto leader of Hamas, was assassinated in July 2024 shortly after attending the inauguration ceremony of the

, the latest de facto leader of Hamas, was killed by

(IDF), alongside Mahmoud Hamdan, commander of the Tel Sultan Battalion and Hani Zaarab on 16 October 2024. Only

has not been assassinated or killed, as of today.

List of leaders

This is the list of leaders of Hamas since its inception in December 1987.

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.

List of chairmen of political bureau

This is the incomplete list of chairman of Hamas Political Bureau since 1992.

List of current members of political bureau of Hamas

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.

List of current members of main political bureau

This is the current list of the main political bureau of Hamas. All these members was elected since May 2017.

List of current members of political bureau in the Gaza Strip

This is the current list of the Hamas political bureau in the Gaza Strip. All these members were elected since March 2021.

List of current members of political bureau in the West Bank

List of the political bureau of Hamas in the West Bank elected since May 2017. * Saleh al-Arouri Saleh Muhammad Sulayman al-Arouri (; 19 August 1966 – 2 January 2024), also transliterated as Salah al-Arouri or Salih al-Aruri, was a Palestinian politician and senior leader of Hamas who served as List of leaders of Hamas, deputy chairman o ...
(Chairman) * Zaher Jabarin (~~Deputy Chairman~~; Chairman) * ~~Azzam al-Aqra~~ * ~~Samir Fandi~~ * ~~Khalil al-Kharraz~~

List of current members of political bureau in the Diaspora / Palestinian Abroad

This is the current list of the political bureau of Hamas in the Diaspora / Palestinian Abroad. All these members was elected since May 2017. *

(Chairman)

List of current members of political bureau in the Israeli prisoners

This is the current list of the political bureau of Hamas in the Israeli prisoners. All these members was elected since May 2017. * Salameh Katawi (Chairman)

List of military leaders in the Gaza Strip

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leaders of Hamas Hamas leaders Hamas members Palestinian politicians Lists of Palestinian people Lists of leaders of political parties