‘We just want to live’: Palestinians in Gaza react to Hamas election There are mixed reactions in Gaza after Khalil al-Hayya is elected Hamas leader, as residents weigh politics against daily hardships. Gaza City, Gaza Strip – 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. Al-Hayya won an internal election against former Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal this week.

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. Noman Saleh, 63, lost his factory during Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, something that has shaped every aspect of his life. “People here are all suffering.

People are hungry. People have been humiliated. Who is standing with the people today?

No one,” said Saleh. “I blame all the [political] factions. If there are factions, there is failure.

The national cause should not be used for organisations to serve themselves.” Gaza remains almost completely destroyed from Israel’s genocidal war, beginning on October 7, 2023. An Israeli siege on Gaza has also left Palestinians trapped and unable to find the most basic commodities. “Whether al-Hayya wins or someone else wins, it does not make a difference to us,” Saleh said.

“We want someone who is loyal to the country, someone who is honest, someone who believes in the people who are living through this.” A generation focused on survival Ali Abu Amshi, 28, has lost 22 of his family members – including his mother, father and a brother – and was displaced from his home in Gaza City during the war. He said the suffering he and others in Gaza have endured since October 2023 has pushed political questions down people’s lists of concerns. “The 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,” he told Al Jazeera. “We don’t 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.” He said this was not about political blame, but about ending the hardship facing ordinary people. “The war was very difficult. I lost loved ones.

I feel dead inside, yet I’m still alive,” Abu Amsha said. “We 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.

“Look at Gaza today. The streets are filled with waste. Is this a life?

Of course not. We hope things will change.” A message of continuity Still, Palestinian journalist Mahmoud Haniyeh viewed Khalil al-Hayya’s election as a significant political message from Hamas. Essentially, it reflects the movement’s decision to maintain continuity in its leadership and political direction, he said.

“The 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,” Haniyeh told Al Jazeera. “By 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.” While Hamas has shown flexibility in its political positions during the current phase, it has not abandoned its focus on resistance to Israel.