Hamas has begun a secretive process to select a new leader following the elimination of Yahya Sinwar by Israel earlier this year. Khalil Al‑Hayya and Khaled Mashaal, both based in Qatar, are seen as the main candidates to take over the leadership. The selection is being conducted by a fifty-member council representing various regions and members abroad, with a deputy leader also set to be chosen to replace Saleh Al‑Arouri, who was also killed in an Israeli strike. The leadership vote comes amid ongoing international pressure for Hamas to disarm as part of a ceasefire plan, a demand the group has so far rejected.