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Noman Saleh says electing a new Hamas leader will not change the harsh reality faced by people in Gaza [Abdelhakim Abu Riash\/Al Jazeera]<\/p>\nGaza City, Gaza Strip \u2013 There have been mixed reactions among Palestinians in Gaza about the election of Khalil al-Hayya as Hamas leader, and the impact this development could have on their lives.<\/p>\n
Al-Hayya won an internal election against former Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal this week.<\/p>\n
For many, the announcement was overshadowed by more immediate concerns, notably a decent and dignified home, finding food, securing clean water and surviving another day of war.<\/p>\n
Noman Saleh, 63,\u00a0lost his factory during Israel\u2019s ongoing genocide in Gaza, something that has shaped every aspect of his life.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople here are all suffering. People are hungry. People have been humiliated. Who is standing with the people today? No one,\u201d said Saleh.<\/p>\n
\u201cI blame all the [political] factions. If there are factions, there is failure. The national cause should not be used for organisations to serve themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gaza remains almost completely destroyed from Israel\u2019s genocidal war, beginning on October 7, 2023.<\/p>\n
An Israeli siege on Gaza has also left Palestinians trapped and unable to find the most basic commodities.<\/p>\n
Noman Saleh says electing a new Hamas leader will not change the harsh reality faced by people in Gaza [Abdelhakim Abu Riash\/Al Jazeera]<\/p>\n
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\u201cWhether al-Hayya wins or someone else wins, it does not make a difference to us,\u201d Saleh said. \u201cWe want someone who is loyal to the country, someone who is honest, someone who believes in the people who are living through this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ahmed, 40 years old social media content writer from Gaza City said the election of the new leader comes at a critical time.<\/p>\n
\u201dThe victory of al-Hayya comes at the most difficult phase in the history of Hamas, from the time of its creation to the genocidal war that killed its leaders,\u201d Ahmed, who refused to give his full name for security reasons, said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe [new leader] faces a big test and his rise to the presidency reflects a desire by the movement to maintain its cohesion. The Israeli occupation was trying to create a leadership vacuum, but the movement proved its ability to carry on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201dThe people of Gaza need leadership close to them, leadership that listens to them and understands their sufferings; therefore, everyone is looking forward to the new phase in such a critical time,\u201d Ahmed adds.<\/p>\n
A generation focused on survival<\/p>\n
Ali Abu Amshi, 28, has lost 22 of his family members \u2013 including his mother, father and a brother \u2013 and was displaced from his home in Gaza City during the war.<\/p>\n
He said the suffering he and others in Gaza have endured since October 2023 has pushed political questions down people\u2019s lists of concerns.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe news does not make a difference to us. We want to live. We want crossings to reopen, we want to eat, drink and have a normal life,\u201d he told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t want to keep asking who will lead us, who will be elected, or who will rule us. Whoever governs us, we just want to live.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Ali Abu Amsha says all he wants is to live peacefully after losing several family members during the war, including his parents [Abdelhakim Abu Riash\/Al Jazeera]<\/p>\n
He said this was not about political blame, but about ending the hardship facing ordinary people.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe war was very difficult. I lost loved ones. I feel dead inside, yet I\u2019m still alive,\u201d Abu Amsha said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe return to the same pain, the same wars, every year. If they can feed us, provide us with water, help us live a dignified life, that is all we ask for.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at Gaza today. The streets are filled with waste. Is this a life? Of course not. We hope things will change.\u201d<\/p>\n
A message of continuity<\/p>\n
Still, Palestinian journalist Mahmoud Haniyeh viewed Khalil al-Hayya\u2019s election as a significant political message from Hamas. Essentially, it reflects the movement\u2019s decision to maintain continuity in its leadership and political direction, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe importance of electing Khalil al-Hayya at this time is that Israel considers him one of the remaining figures involved in the decision-making circle behind October 7,\u201d Haniyeh told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy choosing him, Hamas is sending a message that it does not distance itself from October 7 and still considers it part of its strategic path.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Mahmoud Haniyeh sees the election of a new Hamas leader as a positive gesture, giving Gaza residents hope that conditions may improve [Abdelhakim Abu Riash\/Al Jazeera]<\/p>\n
While Hamas has shown flexibility in its political positions during the current phase, it has not abandoned its focus on resistance to Israel.<\/p>\n
Hamas\u2019s internal election, Haniyeh said, should essentially be viewed within the wider Palestinian political landscape, including preparations for possible legislative elections, which could lead to more political engagement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Palestinian citizen will have a wider space to choose the political leadership that represents them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
After nearly two decades of governing the Gaza Strip, Hamas has announced earlier it will dissolve its government and hand over power to a new, Palestinian technocratic governing authority.<\/p>\n
The move comes as a United States-backed peace process, which resulted in a ceasefire last year, has largely stalled and as Israel\u2019s\u00a0bombardment of the Strip<\/a>\u00a0continues regardless.<\/p>\n Hamas said it would be transferring power to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) \u2013 a Palestinian-run technical committee backed by the United Nations as part of the US-mediated ceasefire.<\/p>\n
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Mustafa Ibrahim, a political analyst, says people have lost trust in Hamas and other Palestinian factions, as they see no changes in their favour and continue to suffer [Abdelhakim Abu Riash\/ Al Jazeera]<\/p>\n