Khaled Meshaal will not be a candidate in the next Hamas leadership elections, a Hamas official revealed. Mahmoud el-Zahar said to the press on Wednesday that the election of the new Hamas leader will happen soon, without revealing further details for security reasons. Meshaal, who led Hamas since 1996, led a historic four-day visit to the Gaza Strip on Friday to celebrate his party’s 25th anniversary. A number of internal Hamas authorities [the Shura Council and the Legislative Council] will elect the Politburo chief.