Hamas has been without a head for hours since its leader Yahya Sinwar was killed in Rafah, but it is likely not for long.
Bloomberg reported on Friday that Hamas is likely to name Khalil al-Hayya as Sinwar's successor.
Al-Hayya is located in Qatar, so far from the fire of the Gaza Strip, and Israel will find it impossible to execute him.
At the moment, Khalil al-Hayya is leading indirect negotiations with Israel for a cease-fire in Gaza to release the hostages kidnapped by Hamas.
Analysts also point out that "the next leader will almost certainly come from the leadership of the Doha movement" in Qatar and will not deviate from the political and ideological course that Sinwar had charted.
An early sign that he is being installed as a new leader is that he gave televised remarks on Friday. He vowed to use Sinwar's killing as motivation to continue the fight, saying the hostages "will not be returned unless the attack on Gaza is stopped" and that "Israel must withdraw from Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons must to be released".
Besides Al-Hayya, the possible contenders for leadership are Khaled Meshaal, Haniyeh's predecessor, and Mohammad Darwish, president of the Shura Council, who is not well known to the outside world. Said council representing all members of the organization will appoint the leader.
Meanwhile, Sinwar's death could lead to the emergence of two new figures in Gaza: his brother and right-hand man Mohammed Sinwar and Izz al-Din Haddad, who is the military head of the northern part of the Gaza Strip.