Haniyeh to lead Hamas politburo in Gaza

Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh won elections to lead the party's political office in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported Tuesday. Hamas officials told the newspaper the party elected its 77-member advisory council in Gaza and 15-member politburo in recent weeks. The paper said Hamas moderates Razi Hamed, Ahmed Yousef, and Salah al-Bardawil were not elected, while other leaders Yehia Sanwar, Khalil al-Hayeh, Nizar Awdallah, and Mahmoud Zahhar made the list. Imad al-Alami, formerly Damascus-based and recently returned to Cairo, was elected as Haniyeh's deputy, Haaretz reported. Meanwhile a Hamas official denied the report, saying occasional leaks intend to push the party to release the names of the leaders.