The new leader will need to navigate between international calls, led by the United States and Israel, for the group to disarm, and resistance to that demand from its armed wing, which fought Israeli forces in Gaza. Hamas, however, said it would surrender its weapons to a Palestinian authority in Gaza under certain conditions. Both Meshaal and al-Hayya have years of experience within the movement. Al-Hayya, 65, a Gaza native and Hamas’ chief negotiator in ceasefire talks, has held senior roles since at least 2006, according to the US-based NGO the Counter Extremism Project (CEP).