Signaling a renewed push for regional engagement, Khalil al-Hayya, recently elected as Hamas’s leader, has moved swiftly to rebuild the group’s diplomatic and political standing.
Within days of his election, he met with top Turkish officials, including the country’s intelligence chief, expressing appreciation for Ankara’s mediation role and its support for the Palestinian cause. A day earlier, he spoke by phone with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who stressed Tehran’s backing for Hamas’s decisions in negotiations on Gaza’s roadmap.
Egypt also joined the wave of regional gestures, with its head of intelligence congratulating al-Hayya and hosting Hamas officials in Cairo for the Gaza ceasefire talks, in what appears to reflect the Egyptians’ sustained interest in maintaining stability along their border with the Strip.
Despite the heavy military blows Hamas has suffered during the three years of war triggered by its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in which it penetrated sovereign territory, committed massacres, abused, kidnapped, and killed hundreds of Israelis, the terrorist group has managed to maintain legitimacy among several Arab and Muslim governments as it works to bolster its position and influence as a leading Palestinian force.
Palestinian analyst and commentator Adel Shadid said that Hamas is currently seen as the most influential Palestinian actor, mainly because no real political alternatives have emerged.
“Countries in the region and beyond understand that Hamas has kept its place and still holds leverage and power,” Shadid told The Jerusalem Report in a recent interview.
He noted that even governments wary of Hamas acknowledge the organization as the main address for dialogue and interaction.
“The fact is that this war hasn’t erased Hamas; it exists and cannot disappear,” Shadid said. “Hamas has remained powerful and that made countries recognize that it is in their interest to align with it.”
Shadid added that “the war and what followed haven’t helped Fatah or the Palestinian Authority to take the lead or replace Hamas, which is considered part of Palestinian politics and society.”
Elevated political status
Observers noted that what has further empowered Hamas and boosted its political status is the negotiations that mediators and the United States have conducted with the group.
Hamas has become an actor that neither the international community nor the region can ignore, Shadid said.
“Its standing in the Arab world today is better. Relations with Turkey are much tighter, Iran will continue to support it, and Egypt, which has traditionally had reservations about Hamas, believes that as the main power in Gaza, the organization is essential for stability, and that without it chaos could emerge,” Shadid said, adding that Qatar maintains strong ties with the group despite some reported tensions.
“The destruction, displacement, the deaths in Gaza and the Israeli conduct of the war have reduced criticism of Hamas in some parts of the world,” Shadid said, pointing out that public sentiment in Arab societies in support of Hamas hasn’t changed since October 7.
He added that Hamas is actively influencing public opinion and that its narrative is widely heard.
In a recent interview with Western media, Hamas official Razi Hamad again denied that October 7 was a massacre, arguing there were “no instructions” to kill Israeli civilians. He reiterated this position, which has been Hamas’s narrative since the very first day of the war, underscoring the group’s ongoing effort to shape perceptions.
“This is Hamas’s central messaging: There was no massacre, and if Israeli civilians were killed, it was either by Israeli forces or as a result of the fighting that unfolded,” said Michael Milshtein, Head of the Palestinian Studies Forum at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University.
Legitimacy battle
Milshtein explained that Hamas has been deliberately engineering its narrative, presenting itself as the victim, and the Israelis as the oppressors, in an effort to dominate the story of what happened.
“Among Palestinians and the broader Arab world, you can hardly find criticism of Hamas. If there is any, it focuses on why Hamas embarked on this uncalculated adventure, not on condemning the massacre itself against Israelis,” Milshtein said. “I don’t see any visible signs that Hamas has become a pariah,” he added.
He emphasized that Hamas understands the power of images and perceptions, an issue he refers to in his new book, The Day the Conflict Changed: Israel and the Palestinians after October 7.
“Hamas has worked to provide a narrative that would be easier for the world to digest,” he said. “As the war has dragged on, Hamas’s capacity to sway public opinion has grown, enabling it to reinforce its fake narrative.
“Hamas still stands on its feet. Not only has it survived, it is not on the verge of collapse,” Milshtein continued.
“Hamas projects itself as the leader of the Palestinian cause,” he said. “They are the ones who shape the agenda; not Abu Mazan [Mahmoud Abbas – the Palestinian Authority president],” Milshtein said, adding that he “does not affect anything.”
As the dominant power in the Palestinian system, Milshtein said that Hamas is bracing for the long term, preparing for the “day after Abu Mazen.”
“They are now adapting to the new changing reality. While they claim to be willing to hand over weapons, they are not truly giving them up, but rather agreeing to make some gradual, partial concessions that serve their interests,” he said.
“Now that al-Hayya is at the helm of Hamas, he will try to pursue the rehabilitation of Gaza and de-escalation, and also rebuild the group’s military wing as much as possible, while simultaneously preparing for the future; for the reality that comes after Abu Mazen,” Milshtein explained. “That means also making steps that will benefit Hamas and cement its integration into the Palestinian system.”
Transitional phase
Shadid said that Hamas is now in a transitional phase, shifting from primarily military activity to establishing itself as a political actor.
However, he added, Hamas is unlikely to renounce its ‘project of resistance,’ unless Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian lands comes to an end.
“The situation is still very difficult, but the intense part of the war is over, and Hamas now finds itself in a more convenient position,” Shadid said. “The conflict with the Israelis is not only on the battlefield, but also a struggle between narratives,” he continued, pointing out that the group has an interest in shaping public opinion, including in the West, as it seeks to gain legitimacy as a political force.
“It accepted the ceasefire agreement and previously completed the release of Israeli hostages, forcing others to choose now between two options: an endless conflict, which many want to avoid, or to look ahead and engage with Hamas.”■