Khalil al-Hayya, the newly appointed leader of the Hamas terror organization, delivered his first public address on Wednesday, vowing to uphold the doctrine of Yahya Sinwar—the architect of Hamas’s October 7 massacre, which killed some 1,200 people in Israel and saw hundreds taken hostage. Sinwar spent years preparing the attack with extensive Iranian support, despite having previously received life-saving treatment from Israeli doctors while imprisoned. Al-Hayya pledged to continue that path until “Palestine” is “liberated.”
Al-Hayya assumed the leadership role just two days ago. Long regarded as one of Hamas’s most influential figures and a key architect of the group’s political negotiations, his appointment marks the official transition to the next phase of the terror organization’s leadership following Sinwar’s elimination by Israeli forces in October 2024.
In an official statement announcing the appointment, Hamas said al-Hayya’s selection was intended to ensure organizational continuity and preserve the strategic direction established under Sinwar—a doctrine built on the mass murder of civilians and the destruction of Israel. Sources close to the organization’s leadership said, “Khalil al-Hayya has taken responsibility to lead the movement in the most complex period in its history, while maintaining the strategic line that was set.”
The appointment signals that Sinwar’s doctrine did not die with its architect. Instead, al-Hayya appears to view it not as a failed strategy, but as the blueprint for Hamas’s future.