Clutching at straws, Hamas makes a desperate move

Hamas has postponed its internal elections for a new political bureau chief, according to a report published Tuesday in the Saudi newspaper A-Sharq Al-Awsat, highlighting the organization's struggle to maintain leadership continuity following the deaths of its top officials Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar.

The terror group is currently operating under an interim leadership council headed by Mohammed Darwish, with Khalil al-Hayya serving as acting bureau chief and representing Hamas in diplomatic delegations. The council also includes veteran Hamas figures Khaled Mashal, Zaher Jabarin, and Nizar Awadallah.

The postponement decision comes as Hamas grapples with significant organizational challenges. The Saudi newspaper reports that the group has lost hundreds, possibly thousands, of its police officers and security personnel, severely impacting its ability to maintain administrative control over the Gaza Strip.

The erosion of Hamas's governance capabilities is particularly evident in Gaza's markets, where the organization's Economic Ministry is struggling to regulate prices, leading to what the Saudi newspaper describes as "chaos" in various areas of the territory.

The inability to proceed with leadership elections - a process that has historically been central to the group's claims of institutional stability - suggests a deeper disruption to its traditional power structures.

The current leadership council will continue to govern the organization for an unspecified period, though the exact mechanism for decision-making within this interim structure remains unclear.

Israel Hayom contributed to this article.