Hamas has no plans to announce name of new leader

Two Hamas officials told the BBC discussions to choose a successor for the group's leader Yahya Sinwar, whose killing was confirmed earlier, will begin very soon.

The officials said that Khalil al-Hayya, Sinwar's deputy and the group's most senior official outside Gaza, is considered a strong candidate.

Al-Hayya, who is based in Qatar, currently leads the Hamas delegation in ceasefire talks between the group and Israel, and possesses a deep knowledge, connection and understanding of the situation in Gaza.

On October 21, a Hamas official told the BBC that the movement is likely to keep the identity of its new leader secret for security reasons.

The movement did the same thing in 2003 following the assassination of then Hamas chief, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, by Israel and that of his successor, Dr Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi.

Hamas intends to elect a new leader in March of next year but until then it will be run by a five-member committee.

The committee will be made up of Khalil al-Hayya, Khaled Meshaal, Zaher Jabarin, Muhammad Darwish, head of the Shura Council, and a fifth individual whose identity remains undisclosed.

The official indicated that Khalil al-Hayya has assumed responsibility for most political and foreign affairs in addition to his direct oversight of Gaza-related matters and is effectively the acting head of the movement.

The official added that Hamas had been surprised by the way Yahya Sinwar had been killed last week as their understanding had been that he was in a much more secure location at the time of his assassination.

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