Egypt rejected a request by Hamas political bureau chief Khalil al-Hayya to relocate the group’s political leadership headquarters from Doha to Cairo, according to a source familiar with the discussions.
Egypt has rejected a request by Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas’s political bureau, to relocate the group’s political leadership headquarters from Doha to Cairo, as Hamas explores alternative arrangements for its senior leadership outside the Gaza Strip, according to a source familiar with the discussions who spoke to Eagle Intelligence Reports.
The source said al-Hayya raised with Egyptian officials the possibility of moving the headquarters of Hamas’s political bureau to Cairo, but the request was rejected.
The approach came amid mounting pressure on Qatar over its continued hosting of senior Hamas figures, the source said, adding that Doha had asked the group’s leadership to explore alternative arrangements for its political presence outside the country.
The approach came amid mounting pressure on Qatar over its continued hosting of senior Hamas figures
The source did not specify when the request was submitted to Cairo or at what level it was discussed, nor did he disclose the reasons given by Egyptian officials for rejecting it.
Al-Hayya visited Egypt on August 16, 2026, leading a Hamas delegation that met Hassan Rashad, head of Egypt’s General Intelligence Service. It was his first visit to Egypt since assuming leadership of Hamas’s political bureau in July. Public statements on the visit said the talks focused on a Gaza ceasefire, the implementation of related agreements, and reconstruction efforts, with no mention of discussions over relocating the group’s political leadership headquarters.
Egypt was not the only potential destination considered by Hamas as questions grew over the future of its leadership’s presence in Doha. In August, media outlets cited sources within Hamas as saying the group had approached Algeria about hosting several senior officials or part of its political bureau, but that Algerian authorities had not responded positively to the request at the time.
Egypt was not the only potential destination considered by Hamas as questions grew over the future of its leadership’s presence in Doha
The source said there had been no developments that would indicate the relocation of Hamas’s political bureau headquarters to Algeria.
Qatar has hosted some of Hamas’s most senior political figures for years while also playing a central role, alongside Egypt, in mediation efforts related to the war in Gaza, hostage and prisoner exchanges, and ceasefire negotiations. The presence of Hamas’s leadership in Doha, however, has come under increasing political and security pressure.
Israel carried out an airstrike in Doha on September 9, 2025, targeting a meeting of senior Hamas officials. Hamas said the senior leaders targeted in the strike, including al-Hayya, survived, while several members of the group were killed, among them al-Hayya’s son and a number of his aides, as well as a member of Qatar’s security forces. The strike drew widespread condemnation from Qatar and the international community because it was carried out on Qatari territory.
Hamas’s search for an alternative base could mark a shift in the arrangements for its external leadership, after years in which Doha served as a principal hub for the group’s political and diplomatic activities.
