File photo: Khalil al-Hayya sits down for an interview, AP
In his first televised speech since assuming the post, al-Hayya called on countries mediating ceasefire negotiations to pressure the Israeli government to implement existing agreements and move to the next phase of the process.
He said Hamas’ second priority is restoring “dignified living conditions for Palestinians in Gaza, thwarting displacement plans, accelerating reconstruction efforts, and securing the release of prisoners.”
The third priority, he said, is achieving Palestinian unity by launching an immediate national dialogue to rebuild Palestinian institutions, particularly the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), on “democratic and consensual foundations”.
Al-Hayya said the fourth priority is strengthening Hamas’ relations with Arab and Muslim countries.
The fifth priority, he stated, is mobilizing Arab and Muslim nations to take effective action and increase pressure to stop Israel’s “killing and genocide machine” against Palestinians in Gaza while supporting Palestinian rights.
He said the sixth priority is urging the international community and the United Nations (UN) to protect Palestinians and “hold Israeli war criminals accountable”.
On Monday, Hamas announced the election of al-Hayya as head of its political bureau, succeeding Yahya al-Sinwar, who was killed during a gun battle with Israeli occupation forces in the southern Gaza city of Rafah in October 2024.
Al-Hayya, Hamas' former chief negotiator, had gained international prominence by leading the group's delegations at indirect ceasefire talks, meeting mediators in Egypt and Qatar.
The 65-year-old leader was already leading the movement from exile, and was a close associate of Sinwar.
In September 2025, he survived an Israeli air strike that targeted a Hamas leaders meeting in Doha. Five members of the group, including one of his sons, were killed along with a member of Qatar's security forces. Israel also killed three more of his children in Gaza.
Since the outbreak of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023, the occupation army has killed at least 73,400 people, most of them women and children, and injured more than 174,000 others.
Despite a ceasefire in place since October, brokered by Cairo, Doha, Ankara, and Washington, Israel has been assaulting the strip daily, killing at least 1,100 Palestinians, in addition to allowing less than half of the agreed-upon aid trucks to enter the strip.
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