Khaberni - Leadership sources in the «Hamas» movement revealed that the movement has decided to postpone the election of the chairman of its general political bureau, which was scheduled to take place during the first ten days of January (January) this year.
The sources said, according to the newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, that the postponement of this step was until further notice, clarifying that «no new date has been set, but the elections may take place at any moment».
One of the sources attributed the delay to «security and political circumstances and the movement's current preoccupation with negotiations for transitioning to the second phase of the ceasefire, with the ongoing movement in this regard currently by mediators and the United States».
However, other sources explained that "there are additional reasons, including disagreements over ongoing arrangements within the movement in the Gaza Strip region which have escalated in recent days, which are being attempted to be resolved".
"Hamas" faces the most severe crisis since its foundation in 1987; as Israeli targeting, which began after the October 7th (October) 2023 attack, has affected all its wings and levels, causing several organizational and financial crises.
The sources state that the acceleration of the movement regarding the possibility of transitioning to the second phase greatly overshadows the current interest of the movement's leadership, indicating that the election of a new chairman for the political bureau will be an important step in the context of reorganizing the internal situation of the movement, but this process may take longer than expected.
Earlier, sources had spoken about the elections being held within the first 10 days of the new year, stating that the goal of these elections is to achieve more stability and reassurance within the movement, and to send a clear message to the outside world that it remains cohesive.
At that time, sources mentioned that the election of the chairman for the political bureau will not end the role of the current leadership council, which was formed to lead the movement after the assassinations of Haniyeh and Sinwar, pointing out that it will be considered as an advisory council that follows up on all issues of «Hamas» internally and externally, and is consulted among themselves about the fate of those issues.
In response to a question about whether there are internal disagreements over the personality who will be elected to lead «Hamas», one of the sources merely stated that «the election process is conducted according to the laws and regulations in place, and there are no disagreements concerning the personality that will lead the movement».
Estimates indicate that Khaled Meshaal, chairman of the political bureau abroad, and Khalil Al-Hayya chairman of the political bureau in Gaza, are the two most present figures for the possibility of heading the political bureau.
Some sources say that there is significant support within the movement's leadership abroad and the West Bank for Meshaal to be the chairman of the movement, while in the Gaza Strip, the majority prefer that Al-Hayya take on the responsibility of leading the movement.
However, the sources did not rule out that «a third unspecified figure might emerge», and one of the sources said: «It is unpredictable at this time, and the ongoing events cannot be considered as competition due to disagreements on who will be the chairman of the movement, but it can be described as (a benign competitive process)».
Regarding disagreements about what is happening in Gaza, the sources explained that attempts are being made to resolve them, indicating that «there is a significant objection from the majority of leadership levels from administrative bodies and others, about recent internal arrangements».
