Former Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal to head movement’s diaspora office

Palestinian movement Hamas has elected former Chief Khaled Meshaal to run its diaspora office, Anadolu news agency reports.
The Turkish state-run news agency citing a source within the group and who asked to be named because not allowed, said Meshaal was elected Monday for a four-year term. The 64-year old man will head the movement’s foreign policy bureau.
He led Hamas between 1996 to 2017. Now based in Qatar, Meshaal survived in 1997 an assassination attempt after agents from Israel’s secret service Mossad posing as Canadian tourists injected him with a mysterious poison in Jordan.
The kingdom arrested two of the attackers and demanded Israel hand over an antidote if it wanted its agents back, with the Jewish state complying with the demand. Meshaal’s election is part of internal elections in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and abroad by the group to renew its leadership.
The group members also re-elected Yahya Sinwar as their President in Gaza Strip. Palestinians are expected to head to polls for legislative polls on May 22 and a presidential election on July 31.

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