| Chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau | |
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| Type | Political party office |
| Status | Political party leader |
| Member of | Hamas Shura Council of Hamas Political Bureau of Hamas |
| Residence | Gaza Strip, Palestine[note 1] (1987–2004) Amman, Jordan[note 2] (1992–1999)[1] Doha, Qatar (1999–2001)[2] Damascus, Syria (2001–2012)[3] Doha, Qatar (2012–2024) Cairo, Egypt (2012–2024)[4][5] Gaza Strip, Palestine[note 3] (2024–present) |
| Nominator | Political Bureau of Hamas |
| Appointer | Shura Council of Hamas |
| Term length | Four years, renewable (Two term limit)[note 4] |
| Constituting instrument | 1988 Hamas charter |
| Formation | 10 December 1987 |
| First holder | Ahmed Yassin (as Chairman of the Hamas Shura Council, in 1987) Khaled Mashal (as Chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau, in 2004) |
| Deputy | Khalil al-Hayya (since 6 August 2024) |
| Hamas biographies |
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| Map: Birthplaces and family origins. |
| Palestinian nationalism Factions and leaders | ||
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| Map: Birthplaces or family origins Details below: p. parents from, b. born in, d. death. | ||
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The chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau (Arabic: رئيس المكتب السياسي لحركة حماس, romanized: r'eys almktb alsyasy lhrkh hmas), also known as the chairman of the Hamas Shura Council (Arabic: رئيس مجلس شورى لحركة حماس, romanized: r'eys mjls shwra hrkh hmas) from 1987 until 2004, is the overall and de facto leader of Hamas, a Palestinian Sunni Islamist political and military organisation that is governing most of the Gaza Strip since 2007. The current chairman is Yahya Sinwar, appointed since August 2024, after his predecessor, Ismail Haniyeh, was assassinated on 31 July 2024 in Tehran, Iran, after attending the inauguration ceremony of President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian.
The chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau is expected to oversee the organization and its various components, while military operations are managed separately by military commanders. Residing in Doha, Qatar, the chairman serves as a figurehead for Hamas during Palestinian elections and becomes the central leader in the resistance against Israeli occupation. Additionally, he plays a crucial role in foreign relations, leading negotiations with Israeli officials regarding peace processes, fostering reconciliation with Fatah, and enhancing ties with other Middle Eastern countries.
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- ^ Recknagel, Charles. "Iran: Expulsion From Jordan Only Temporary Setback For Hamas". Radio Free Europe. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
For years, Amman and Damascus have been safe havens from which the most radical leaders of Hamas could operate beyond the reach of the Israeli and Palestinian Authority security services. But Jordan's recent closure of the Amman office of Hamas, the acronym of the Islamic Resistance Movement, now has changed that equation and set the group looking for new political bases and allies abroad.
- ^ Cafiero, Giorgio. "Why Syria is So Silent About Hamas". Stimson. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
Syria first became a state sponsor of Hamas in the 1990s. American and Israeli pressure had contributed to Jordan's decision to evict the Palestinian group's exiled political leadership from Amman in 1999, resulting in Hamas's external headquarters moving to Damascus in 2001 following a brief stay in Qatar. Damascus provided Hamas the freedom to train its militants on Syrian soil while the Syrian Ministry of Information became the venue for Hamas's exiled political leadership to hold press conferences. This support was one major reason why the U.S. State Department has kept Syria on its "state sponsors of terrorism" list for so many years.
- ^ Cafiero, Giorgio. "Why Syria is So Silent About Hamas". Stimson. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
But the Syrian government's relationship with Hamas drastically deteriorated after Hamas sided with Assad's opponents after the Arab Spring erupted in 2011. By February 2012, the Damascus-Hamas rift resulted in the resistance organization's politburo leaving Syria and relocating to Egypt and Qatar.
- ^ Miller, Elhanan. "Cairo agrees to host Hamas headquarters, Arabic daily says". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
Less than one year after closing its headquarters in Damascus, Hamas's "outside" leadership has found a new home in the Egyptian capital of Cairo. Hamas leaders are split between Gaza, where they took violent control in 2007, the West Bank, where they seek to gain control, and elsewhere in the region. London-based daily Al-Hayat reported Tuesday that Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood administration has agreed to open a Hamas office in eastern Cairo and establish a joint committee with Hamas to discuss issues of security along the Gaza-Egypt border.
- ^ "Hamas opens office in Cairo". Middle East Monitor. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
The Egyptian government agreed to allow the Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, to open an office in Cairo and appoint a permanent representative there. Egyptian sources stated that the Hamas delegation currently visiting Cairo agreed with the Egyptian intelligence agency to appoint a representative for the movement in the Egyptian capital, who will act as a coordinator to discuss and deal with various issues. The agreement between the two sides stipulates that there will be permanent representation for the movement in Cairo in order to follow up on the movement's affairs, as well as the affairs of Gazans in Egypt.
- ^ "Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal to step down from his position". The Guardian. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
Abu Marzouk is expected to be in contention to succeed Meshaal, although Ismail Haniyeh, the de facto prime minister of Gaza, could also stand for the political leadership. The post is meant to be limited to two terms, although Meshaal's period at the helm was extended twice.