By Moamen Ghorab

GAZA CITY, Palestine

Palestinian resistance group Hamas said new group leader Ismail Haniyeh would remain in the Gaza Strip.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasim said Haniyeh will leave the strip “if the necessity dictates”.

“Haniyeh’s new position could require him to go on tours outside Gaza,” he said.

“His departure from the Strip will be assessed by the Hamas leadership in accordance with future evaluations,” the spokesman said.

Haniyeh, a former prime minister, was elected the chief of Hamas political bureau on Saturday, replacing Khaled Meshaal, who has been the group leader since 1996.

The polls were held in both the Gaza Strip and Doha simultaneously via video conference.

A Hamas source had told Anadolu Agency Saturday that Haniyeh might live outside of Gaza, which has been under a decade-long Israeli blockade.