Probable names of several Hamas leaders have cropped up following the killing of the outfit's chief Yahya Sinwar as the next head of the Palestinian militant group. Sinwar, who was named the Hamas chief following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in August, was killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza on Thursday. 

Sinwar was one of the chief architects of the October 7 attacks which killed over 1,200 Israelis and made 250 hostages who were taken into Gaza. A $4,00,000 bounty was placed on his head by Israel on information leading to his capture or death. 

His death has now left a power vacuum at the helm of Hamas raising questions about who will head the outfit now during this crucial phase of the Gaza war.

Here's a look at the figures who can lead Hamas. 

Mahmoud al-Zahar: One of the founding members of Hamas, al-Zahar is a frontrunner to succeed Sinwar. He is known for his hardline stance, even by Hamas standards and was instrumental in shaping the group's ideological framework, which focuses on both militant resistance against Israel and Islamist governance in Gaza. He has survived multiple assassination attempts by Israel including one in 1992 and again in 2003. 

Mohammad Sinwar: Yahya Sinwar's brother, Mohammad has been a longtime leader with Hamas' military wing. Mohammad is said to have a hardline approach as his brother and US officials have expressed concerns that his leadership would make peace negotiations even more challenging, as per an AFP report. 

Mousa Abu Marzouk: A senior member of Hamas' political bureau, Marzouk has helped the outfit after breaking away from the Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood in the late 1980s. He was jailed in the US in the 1990s for involvement in terrorist activities but was later deported to Jordan and has remained an influential figure within the group's political apparatus.

Mohammed Deif: The elusive commander of Hamas's military wing, Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, is often rumoured to be either dead or severely injured following Israeli airstrikes. 

Khalil al-Hayya: A prominent figure within Hamas' political bureau, al-Hayya is currently based in Qatar. He has played a key role in ceasefire talks in previous conflicts and his leadership could be seen as a pragmatic choice for the group. He survived an Israeli airstrike in 2007 that killed members of his family. 

Khaled Mashal: Leading Hamas for over a decade between 2006 and 2017, Mashal remains a respected figure within the group, though has fallen out of favour with some key factions. Currently based in Qatar, Mashal oversaw some of Hamas' most significant military and political milestones. 

However, his ties with Iran — Hamas's major backer — were strained due to his public opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian civil war.