Behind the scenes as Hamas chose its new leader

The BBC's Rushdi Abualouf witnessed Hamas’s shadowy veterans gather in Qatar to vote for their new chief.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS ElectionUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessWomen at the HelmFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersBehind the scenes as Hamas chose its new leaderEPAHamas chose Yahya Sinwar (R) to replace assassinated leader Ismail Haniyeh (L). The pair are seen here together in 2017Over the past week, watched by the world's media, the top leaders of Hamas descended on Qatar to choose a new political leader for their group.

Delegates flooded in from across the Middle East after almost a year of fighting between Hamas and Israel in Gaza.

Some arrived shaken, having woken just days before to the news that the group's previous political leader - Ismail Haniyeh - had been killed in a blast in Tehran, allegedly by Israel.

Haniyeh, who had overseen his group's negotiators in talks with Israel, played a crucial role in Hamas, balancing the militant wing's desire to take the fight to Israel with calls from some to reach a settlement and end the conflict.

His position, it was clear, had to be filled quickly.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyl3yg7wzzo

---