“We tell the occupiers that we are the owners of a cause. Neither the killing of our children nor the martyrdom of our leaders will frighten us or instill fear in our hearts,” Hayya said.

The veteran Hamas leader was elected on Monday, succeeding Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza in October 2024.

Hayya, a close associate of Sinwar, had served as Hamas’s chief negotiator during ceasefire talks and was seen as a central figure in the movement after the martyrdom of Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh.

A native of Gaza born in 1960, Hayya has been part of Hamas since its founding in 1987 and holds a doctorate in Islamic studies.

Hayya served as Sinwar’s deputy and took over leadership of the movement in Gaza in October 2024 after Sinwar’s killing.

He has been Hamas’s chief negotiator during ceasefire and captive-release talks, leading delegations in indirect negotiations with Israel through mediators in Egypt and Qatar.

Hayya has survived multiple Israeli assassination attempts.

In September 2025, he survived an Israeli strike that targeted a meeting of Hamas leaders in Doha, killing five lower-level members of the group, including one of his sons.

In 2007, an Israeli airstrike on his family home killed eight relatives. Two more of his sons were killed in previous Israeli attacks, and a fourth was killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza in May.

Another son, Hamza, a field commander in the Qassam Brigades, was killed in clashes in 2008.

He takes over at a time of intense Israeli aggression against Gaza, as Hamas continues to resist the occupation.

MNA