After Sinwar was killed, Hamas leadership in Gaza was temporarily transferred to his deputy, Khalil Al-Hayya, a Qatari.

Hayya, who is seen as a potential successor, issued a defiant statement on October 18 that the Israeli hostages would not be released until the Israeli army withdrew from Gaza and the conflict ended.

After a leader dies, Hamas typically appoints a new leader quickly, with its top decision-making body being the Shura Council, which represents all Hamas members in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Israeli prisons and the Palestinian exile community.

According to analysts and Hamas sources, in addition to Hayya, Hamas's chief negotiator, the other main leadership candidates are Khaled Meshaal, Ismail Haniyeh's predecessor, and Mohammad Darwish, chairman of the Shura Council.

In its leadership discussions, Hamas must consider not only the opinion of its main backer - Iran - but also the interests of the Gulf Arab state of Qatar, where all the main candidates for the post of head of the politburo currently reside.

The group's previous head, Ismail Haniyeh, was assassinated in Iran in July. When Sinwar replaced him, he unified both the military and political leadership in Gaza, but that seems unlikely this time.

Ashraf Abouelhoul, an expert on Palestinian affairs, predicts there will be two successors to Sinwar in two different roles, one overseeing military affairs and the other running the political office, responsible for international relations and shaping policy.

Ngoc Anh (according to Reuters)