Israel eliminated Hamas’ latest leader in Gaza, Mohammed Odeh, on May 26. This came just two weeks after the IDF had killed his predecessor, Izz al-Din al-Haddad. As such, Hamas appears to be leaderless in Gaza.
However, Israel has not sought to take advantage of this, nor has it attempted to remove Hamas from Gaza and free the two million Gazans trapped under Hamas. Instead, Hamas is left in control of around 40% of Gaza, able to rebuild itself and choose new leadership.
Regional media are interested in who may come next. Notably, Hamas leadership has been divided between Gaza-based leaders and those who have been living abroad for decades.
For instance, when October 7 began, many key Hamas figures were living in Qatar; these included Ismail Haniyeh, Ghazi Hamid, and Khaled Meshaal. Saleh al-Arouri lived in Lebanon. Haniyeh and Arouri were killed over the past two years, but several key Hamas figures remain in Qatar.
Meanwhile, the entirety of Hamas leadership in Gaza has been eliminated, according to IDF statements. This includes almost every Hamas battalion and brigade commander. Yahya Sinwar, Marwan Issa, Mohammed Dief, and other key commanders in Gaza were killed during the Israel-Hamas War. Hamas has replaced a number of its commanders, but, in some cases, these replacements were also killed.
Who will lead Hamas in Gaza next?
This week, Walla reported that Hamas has several key figures within Gaza who could lead Hamas in Gaza.
When discussing Hamas in Gaza, reports often claim that there is a “military” wing and a "political" one. In the current reports about Hamas leaders in Gaza, the reference here is to the “military” wing because it is the prevalent one in Gaza.
Hamas is one organization, but has often pretended to have separate pieces. This is a fiction that terrorist groups often use so that their “political” side can freely travel and negotiate.
It is a fiction that harkens back to when terrorist groups were more popular around the world; groups like the IRA in Northern Ireland would pretend that their “political” side had no role in their “military” activity. The reality is that Hamas, like other terrorists, only has one leadership.
In Gaza, the candidates for leadership, Walla says, include “survivors of assassination attempts, brigade commanders – and a mysterious figure.” The report is actually based on a separate report that “states that the three commanders of the Northern Brigade, the commander of the Khan Yunis Brigade, and the commander of the Gaza Brigade are candidates – along with another person described as ‘significant and experienced.’”
Asharq al-Awsat named several possible candidates. It notes that Imad Aslim, deputy commander of the Gaza Brigade, was killed, which eliminates him as a possibility. “A fourth figure, the new commander of the Northern Brigade, survived, and is believed to have been wounded.”
Asharq Al-Awsat says it spoke to Hamas sources, which stated that there are “several options [that] are under discussion within the movement, including a ‘collective leadership’ for Hamas’ Qasam Brigades.” The Qasam Brigades are how Hamas describes its military side.
The report refers to Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades commander Imad Aqel. It claims that “Aqel did not take part in planning or supervising the [October 7] attack, but is believed to have known about it because he was then responsible for the Home Front Directorate, a post he held until Odeh was killed.”
The report goes on to say that “three Hamas sources in Gaza, speaking separately to Asharq Al-Awsat, agreed that choosing or announcing a new chief of staff could take longer this time than the swift handover from Haddad to Odeh.”
Clearly, Hamas has realized that whoever they choose will be targeted by Israel. “A third source said a new commander was likely to be chosen soon, but under tighter secrecy to prevent his identity from being leaked, especially if the choice is a figure not widely seen as a contender.” It’s also possible that the group will create a “council of five” to run itself in Gaza.
The contenders to run Hamas include senior Qassam Brigades figures, such as Muhand Rajab, commander of the Gaza Brigade; Izz ad-Din al-Bik, commander of the Northern Brigade; and Muhammad al-Barim, commander of the Khan Yunis Brigade.
Notably, the Khan Younis Brigade was a key part of the terrorist group before October 7, and Sinwar was from Khan Younis. It spearheaded attacks towards Nirim, Nir Oz, and Magen. The brigade was largely destroyed by the IDF’s 98th Division in late 2023 and early 2024. Then-Brig.-Gen. Dan Goldfus, the head of the 98th, described the complex battle in Khan Younis in early 2024.
The Northern Brigade of Hamas was attacked and destroyed several times. It faced devastating defeats in November 2023 and again in operations in late 2024. By now, the brigade has ostensibly ceased to exist, but likely endures only in name within areas that Hamas controls.
The Gaza City brigade was also badly damaged in November 2023 and December 2023, before being attacked again in September 2025.
The Asharq al-Awsat report says that Hamas may have appointed “a mysterious figure with a historical status in the organization.”
Imad Aqel is also a candidate, the report says. “Aqel originally lived in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. At the start of the second intifada in late September 2000, he was forced to leave the camp and move to the Zeitoun neighborhood in southern Gaza City.”
Aqel was a commander of the Central Brigade and, afterwards, the Gaza Brigade.
Nuseirat is a key Hamas stronghold in central Gaza, and was never taken by the IDF. Along with other central camps, such as Deir al-Balah and Maghazi, it was always held by Hamas. The only exception was the IDF’s June 2024 raid into Nuseirat to free four hostages: Noa Argamani, Shlomi Ziv, Almog Meir Jan, and Andrey Kozlov.
The report names Muhannad Rajab, who became the Gaza Brigade commander, as another candidate. He also commanded the Sabra and Tel al-Islam battalions, and he was close to Haddad, the report says.
The report further stated: “Other Qassam commanders are also being mentioned, including Gaza Brigade commander Muhannad Rajab, Northern Brigade commander Izz el-Deen al-Beik, whom Israel tried to assassinate days ago, and Khan Yunis Brigade commander Mohammed al-Bureim. Other former members of the brigades’ military council are also being pushed by some to return to the general staff. The name of Northern Brigade commander Izz el-Deen al-Beik also appears as another option, if his health allows, after conflicting reports about his injury in an Israeli strike days ago.”
Many of these brigade leaders had to replace commanders that were killed. The Northern Brigade, as noted above, was supposedly destroyed by the IDF several times. This raises questions about who’s in the brigade today – is it people who were displaced from areas such as Beit Lahiya, which was razed? Or, is it a brigade only on paper? Or, perhaps, was the IDF mistaken in its previous assessments about how damaged some of these brigades were? Currently, there are more questions than answers.
The last possibility for leadership in Gaza is an unnamed “mysterious” figure. This person has a “historical” pedigree, and the IDF has tried to kill him, the report claims. “The source, who declined to name the candidate to lead Qassam, said they ‘are not wounded, have considerable security and military experience, and are one of the brigades’ veteran military and security figures.’”