Following Hamas’s announcement of a broad consultation process within its leadership and Shura institutions to select a new head of the political office, the name of the temporary successor to Ismail Haniyeh has been revealed.
Saudi Arabia media reported that Mohamed Ismail Darwish has been appointed as the head of Hamas’s political bureau, succeeding Haniyeh until internal elections are held within Hamas.
It is also reported that the new Hamas leader, Mohamed Ismail Darwish, is residing in Qatar.
Hamas announced on Saturday the start of an extensive consultation process within its leadership and Shura institutions to select a new leader of the political bureau following Haniyeh’s assassination.
According to the movement’s statute, the president is elected by members of the Shura Council, which includes about 50 members, including members of the movement’s Central Political Bureau.
Previously, some sources reported that Hamas held consultations in Qatar to choose Haniyeh’s successor.
They also noted that Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, is rejecting Khaled Mashal, the former leader who survived an Israeli assassination attempt in Jordan in 1997 and currently lives in Qatar, as a potential leader of Hamas.
Sources indicated that Yahya Sinwar prefers someone with strong relations with Iran and Syria to succeed Haniyeh.
It was also mentioned that the selection of the leader would be temporary until elections are held within Hamas in a few months.
Haniyeh was the head of the political bureau of the movement until his assassination. His deputy, Saleh al-Arouri, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut in January and was expected to automatically replace him. Al-Arouri’s position had been vacant since his death.
Experts say that whoever succeeds Haniyeh will not affect how Hamas conducts its war against Israel in the Gaza Strip, where leaders, including Yahya Sinwar, have conducted operations with a high degree of independence during the conflict.
