A look at potential candidates to replace Hamas leader Haniyeh
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00:00He's a relatively unknown but powerful figure. Since October 7th, Khalil al-Hayya has been
00:06at the forefront of negotiations with the Egyptians, Qataris and Americans. On Wednesday
00:12he was the first from within Hamas's ranks to speak publicly after the assassination
00:17of Ismail Haniyeh.
00:19This is a crime committed on a guest of the Islamic Republic. Its perpetrator, the Israeli
00:23occupier, must pay the price. Now we leave paying the price to the relevant authorities.
00:28Khalil al-Hayya was one of the earliest members of Hamas's political wing and until now he's
00:33been the number two. Born in Gaza in 1960, he met Sheikh Yassin 20 years later, the man
00:39who would go on to create the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement in 1987.
00:45Over the years, Khalil al-Hayya has become somewhat of a chief diplomat for Hamas. In
00:50October 2022, for example, he went to Damascus to formalise the restoration of ties with
00:55the Syrian regime. Al-Hayya is very friendly with Tehran and he's also close to Yaya Sinwa,
01:02the all-powerful leader of Hamas in Gaza.
01:06Al-Hayya spent three years in Israeli jails in the 90s. He's now based in Qatar.
01:13Also residing in Doha is Moussa Abu Mazouk, another figure tipped to take over from Ismail
01:18Haniyeh. He's followed his late mentor's footsteps, also serving time in prison but in the United
01:24States. Considered a moderate, he's an advocate for accepting a future Palestinian state within
01:30the 1967 borders, a controversial position within the movement.
01:36The favourite to succeed Ismail Haniyeh is Khalid Mishal. He's a founding member of Hamas's
01:42political wing and the former head of the organisation. He's well known for having survived
01:47an Israeli poisoning attempt in Amman in 1997. Mishal isn't liked by Iran after he supported
01:54the 2011 Sunni revolt against Bashar al-Assad, a Tehran ally.