Ismail Haniyeh Re-elected as Hamas Political Bureau Chief for Another Term

Two Palestinian officials told Reuters on Sunday that the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) re-elected Ismail Haniyeh as the head of its political bureau for another term. Haniyeh has been leading Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2017. One of the officials stated to Reuters, "Brother Ismail Haniyeh has been re-elected as the head of the movement's political bureau for a second term." The new term lasts for four years. Haniyeh has managed political activities during various armed confrontations with Israel, including an 11-day war in May, which resulted in over 250 deaths in Gaza and 13 fatalities in Israel. Haniyeh was the right-hand man of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder of the movement in Gaza, prior to Yassin's assassination in 2004. At the age of 58, Haniyeh led Hamas into the political arena in 2006 when it achieved a surprising victory in the Palestinian parliamentary elections, defeating the divided Fatah movement led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Haniyeh became Prime Minister following the elections held in January 2006; however, the international community ignored Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, Israel, and the European Union. In 2007, after a brief civil war, Hamas seized control of Gaza from the Palestinian Authority, which is dominated by the Fatah movement and has limited self-governance in the occupied West Bank. Since then, Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza based on the threats posed by Hamas.