Hamas recently held secret elections for its three main bodies – the Shura Council, in charge of consolidating overall strategy; the Political Bureau – in charge of executing the strategy; and the Administrative Council – in charge of administration in the field.
It was reported that the elections took place only in the gaza Strip, not in the West Bank or abroad, and that Isma'il Haniya and senior officials in Hamas's military wing 'Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam were elected as new members of the political bureau.
Source: Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, London, September 16, 2008
