October 22, 2024 | Flash Brief

Hamas Leadership Regroups in Qatar Following Sinwar’s Death

October 22, 2024 | Flash Brief

Hamas Leadership Regroups in Qatar Following Sinwar’s Death

Latest Developments

A five-person ruling committee in Qatar will temporarily run Hamas in the wake of the killing of the terror group’s chief Yahya Sinwar in an Israel Defense Forces operation last week, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported on October 21. “The Hamas leadership’s approach is not to appoint a successor” to Sinwar, one Hamas official explained. Instead, a five-member committee based in Doha “will take over the leadership of the group” at least until March, when Hamas will hold elections “if conditions permit.”

Hamas’s political leader in Gaza since 2017, Sinwar assumed overall authority of the Iran-backed terrorist organization when he succeeded Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran on July 31. Hamas established the Qatar-based committee in August after Haniyeh’s assassination in order “to facilitate decision-making given the difficulty of communicating with Sinwar in Gaza,” AFPreported.

The committee members include Gaza representative Khalil al-Hayya, West Bank representative Zaher Jabarin, and Hamas’s de facto foreign minister, Khaled Meshal. The head of Hamas’s Shura advisory council, Mohammed Darwish, also sits on the committee, as does the secretary of Hamas’s political bureau, whose name remains undisclosed. All five men are based in Qatar, where Hamas operates a political headquarters.

Expert Analysis

“It’s not surprising that Hamas is choosing a strategy not to elect a successor at this current time. Israel’s military achievements against Hamas have destabilized the organization and decimated Hamas’s leadership base in Gaza. Out of fear of additional Israeli action, the terrorist group has not chosen a successor to Sinwar. Hamas is navigating an exceptionally turbulent period, and it would be prudent for the organization to contemplate accepting a ceasefire before its present situation deteriorates further.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

“If there ever were a time for Washington to demand that Qatar act like a true ally and expel Hamas, that time is now. American officials continue to tout Qatar as a Major Non-NATO Ally and express gratitude for Doha’s diplomatic services as the emirate shelters Hamas leaders — some of whom are subject to U.S. arrest warrants. Hamas’s leadership reshuffle gives Washington an opening to finally hold Qatar accountable.” — Natalie Ecanow, FDD Research Analyst

How the U.S. Should Respond to the Death of Yahya Sinwar,” by Jonathan Schanzer and Natalie Ecanow

Hamas Chief Yahya Sinwar Eliminated in IDF Operation,” FDD Flash Brief

10 Things to Know About Hamas and Qatar,” FDD Insight

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