The future of the Gaza Strip is hanging in the balance as Hamas prepares to elect its first political leader since the death of Yahya Sinwar, a decision which could alter the future direction of the Palestinian militant group and the wider Middle East.

Depleted but still operational after more than two years of war with Israel, Hamas has been holding a highly secretive internal ballot to decide who will run its political wing for the past several weeks. Their decision has long been delayed by Israel’s invasion and bombardment of the enclave, which has brutalised its civilian population.

There have been briefings to suggest that a new leader has now been chosen – but it is unclear if and when Hamas will formally announce the identity of their new leader.

One report in Egyptian newspaper Al Manassa states that Khalil al-Hayya, a Gaza-born close associate of Sinwar, has won the leadership after securing 65 per cent of the vote.

But Khaled Mashal, a long-serving Qatar-based member of Hamas’s politburo, who served as its leader for two decades from 1996 to 2017 – when he was succeeded by the late Ismail Haniyeh – is reported by others to have won the ballot, experts say.

Moderates against hawks – but is it that simple?

The election has been presented by Western media as a choice between a more moderate Mashal and the hawkish Al-Hayya. Zaher Jabarin, the leader of Hamas in the West Bank, was also reportedly a candidate. The trio are now based in Doha, and currently share the title of acting chairman of the Hamas political bureau.

Peace talks between Hamas and Israel appear have hit a wall, despite a ceasefire agreement in October 2025. Hundreds have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza since the ceasefire began, and its military has continued creeping forward from the agreed “yellow line”, which was intended to demarcate the boundaries of its partial control in the strip.

Mashal, born in the West Bank, is believed to be more open to working with the Palestinian Authority (PA) and holds close diplomatic ties with Turkey and Qatar. Al-Hayya serves as the de facto leader of the Gaza Strip and is one of the group’s chief negotiators.

“[Al-Hayya] also lost two sons in the war,” says Dr Yaniv Voller, an expert in internal Palestinian politics at the University of Kent. “He is also reportedly closer to Iran, which might indicate a stronger inclination to resume the armed struggle.”

Michael Milshtein, an expert on Hamas at Tel Aviv University, said it is “far more important to continue developing the issue of control in Gaza and the matter of [military] rebuilding.”

Dr Rob Geist Pinfold, an expert on the region at King’s College London, says his understanding is that Mashal, Al-Hayya, and Jabarin have been elected into senior roles, with Mashal at the helm.

If this selection is confirmed, it would suggest the elections have served only as a “rubber stamp” for the existing balance of power, with the trio taking on “different portfolios with Mashal as the leader”.

The Western tendency to view the Hamas election as a choice between hawks and moderates, he says, does not reflect the more complex reality of Hamas’ internal politics.

“Both those groups have different reasons to be moderate or extreme. So the Doha group is the diplomats; they’re the ones who have relations with world leaders, including talking with the US, so we often see them as moderates for that reason. However, they are also prone to bombastic rhetoric, they have less of a need to worry about their domestic constituency,” he says.

The military wing in Gaza, known as the al-Qassam Brigades, are viewed as more hardline given their active role in pushing for the 7 October attacks.

“At the same time, they also have a reason to be more pragmatic in that they have a domestic constituency and domestic base to answer to, with more than 90 per cent of Gazans still under Hamas rule,” Dr Pinfold explains.

Will Hamas change its approach to controlling Gaza?

In the absence of any truly reformist candidates, there is little prospect of any kind of wholesale change in Hamas’ approach to controlling Gaza and how it projects power internationally.

There are growing concerns, however, about the possibility of the group’s influence in the West Bank increasing despite the reelection of Mahmoud Abbas as leader of Fatah. As one of the world’s oldest leaders at 90 years old, he is under mounting pressure to implement reforms and tackle accusations of corruption.

“Succession battles are beginning to take place,” says Dr Voller. “Hamas is more popular in the West Bank than it is in Gaza and the situation there seems to be spiralling toward instability, partly also because of the intensifying settler violence.”

On Thursday, Abbas reiterated pledges to reform the PA and hold long-delayed presidential and parliamentary elections during the Fatah party conference this week.

“We renew our full commitment to continuing work on implementing all the reform measures we pledged,” Abbas said, although he failed to produce a timeline for the elections.

Dr Voller says that the PA “should and could play an important role in Gaza’s reconstruction” warning that its “collapse into internal rivalries could have an even more detrimental impact on the lives of Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank”.

Call them mom and dad — Alex Cooper and Matt Kaplan are expecting their first baby together.

The Call Her Daddy podcast host, 31, shared pictures Sunday showing off her pregnancy bump with Kaplan, 42, as she simply wrote, “Our family.”

Cooper and Kaplan tied the knot in Mexico in April 2024 after they met on a Zoom call during the Covid-19 pandemic in July 2020.

The pregnancy announcement comes weeks after unfounded reports by the Daily Mail that they were having marital problems.

However, they walked the red carpet together at last week’s 2026 YouTube Upfront.

Both Cooper and Kaplan, a film producer, have been facing career drama in recent months.

Last month, a bombshell report accused Kaplan of berating and threatening workers at his and Cooper’s production company, Unwell Network.

Unwell Network has reportedly faced employee turnover due to a toxic work environment fostered by Kaplan, who works as the company’s the co-chief executive officer.

Cooper and Kaplan co-founded their company Trending Media in 2023, which is the parent company for the Unwell Network. Unwell includes Cooper’s lifestyle podcasts and Kaplan’s own production company, ACE Entertainment.

Kaplan is said to be running the day-to-day operations of the business while Cooper focuses on her extremely popular podcast.

Company insiders told Bloomberg that Kaplan has allegedly “earned a reputation for frequently yelling at staff members” and threatening to blacklist them from other jobs, the outlet reported.

Some employees have reportedly threatened to quit the network while working on film sets and live tours due to his behavior.

Meanwhile, Cooper has raised speculation about the working environment of her own podcast due to her apparent feud with Alix Earle.

The conflict went public last month when Cooper shared a video after Coachella weekend where she called out Earle, 25, by name.

“You guys know I don’t usually address this kind of stuff because it feels like a waste of time,” Cooper said in the video. “And honestly, it’s embarrassing to participate in this. But I am obviously seeing the videos and I’m getting tagged. I see the DMs, I see the comments. So, at this point, it just feels long overdue.”

She then paused and said, ““Alix Earle, hey girl. The passive-aggressive reposts and the ‘likes’ and the commenting on things, I gotta call you out here — you’re gonna need to get specific. Just say what you gotta say about me. There’s no NDA and no one is stopping you. Stop hiding behind other people and just say it yourself. What’s the beef?”

Earle responded with a quick comment on the video: “Okay on it!!”

Cooper’s video came days after Earle had reposted a TikTok video accusing Cooper of exploiting her podcast guests for tell-all interviews.

Earle and Cooper were previously on good terms. Earle was one of the first podcasts to launch under Unwell Network in September 2023.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Even as Democratic officials fight the effort in court, the Trump administration has run millions of voter registrations through government databases to determine their eligibility in a process that critics worry could end up purging valid voters from the rolls before the November elections.

At least 67 million registrations, primarily from Republican-controlled states, have gone through a beefed-up verification program at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and tens of thousands of those have been flagged as potential noncitizens or people who have died. Some states allow only a month for people to prove their eligibility and others suspend it immediately.

The scanning of state voter rolls at the national level is part of a broader effort by Republican President Donald Trump to federalize certain election functions and promote his messaging that elections are marred by noncitizen voting, even though instances of that are rare. Voting and civil rights advocates say the DHS system is error-prone and can mistakenly flag people who are eligible to vote.

“If a voter is wrongly removed, by the time they learn about it and correct it, they may miss their opportunity to vote in that election,” said Freda Levenson, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio. The group is challenging an Ohio law requiring monthly checks with the DHS system.

Voters such as 29-year-old Anthony Nel have been caught in the middle.

The native of South Africa, who became a citizen more than a decade ago, was flagged as a potential noncitizen when Texas ran its voter file through the DHS verification system. Nel’s local election office in Denton, north of Dallas, temporarily canceled his registration last fall while he was waiting for a new passport to replace an expired one.

“I’m like, ‘You should know that I’m a citizen, that the passport exists,’” he said in an interview.

States’ entire voter rolls reviewed

Trump has been trying to overhaul U.S. elections, including calling for a federal list of verified voters, and his Department of Justice has pushed states to hand over unredacted voter information for mass checks through the DHS program known as SAVE.

The Justice Department has sued states that refuse, saying the government is trying to ensure that they are complying with federal law and have accurate voter lists. States already take a number of steps to maintain the accuracy of their voter rolls.

SAVE, short for Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, was created under an immigration law mandating that DHS help federal, state and local agencies prevent government benefits from going to noncitizens. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, an arm of DHS, said more than 1,300 agencies use it.

At least 25 states have used SAVE to check their voter rolls since April 2025, after the Trump administration significantly expanded its search abilities, and 60 million registrations were checked in a year’s time, according to Citizenship and Immigration Services. That figure does not include an additional 7.4 million registrations from North Carolina, where Republicans control the state election board, that were recently run through the system.

Citizenship and Immigration Services said in an emailed statement that it is “committed to helping eliminate voter fraud” to restore Americans’ trust in their elections.

“SAVE is one of the most important tools states have to verify voter information,” Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, a Republican, recently told a U.S. House committee examining how states keep voter rolls clean.

Schwab’s endorsement is notable because he once was publicly skeptical that noncitizens represented a significant voter fraud threat.

Republicans cite hits from SAVE searches

Citizenship and Immigration Services said the 60 million voter registration checks identified about 24,000 potential noncitizens. U.S. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who runs the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said during a recent Fox News interview that those checks also identified about 350,000 people who appear to have died.

North Carolina’s State Board of Elections said its check had identified another 34,000 registered voters who are potentially deceased.

Even if all those eventually were verified as ineligible, they would represent small percentages of total registered voters. The figure for noncitizens would be about 400 for every 1 million registrations. Some 384,000 people identified as potentially deceased in about 67 million registrations is a fraction of 1%.

Some voters have been mistakenly flagged.

In Dallas, election officials recently canceled the registration of Domingo Garcia, a 68-year-old lawyer and voting rights activist, without explanation. He has been voting regularly for 50 years, most recently in the state’s March 3 primary, and suspects that officials concluded he was deceased.

“I should not have been on any lists,” he said.

False positives are popping up

Voting rights advocates have filed at least six federal lawsuits over SAVE checks, either against the Trump administration or states using the program.

Nel, a 29-year-old college administrator, is a plaintiff in one of them, filed recently in the District of Columbia against the Justice Department. It alleges an “illegal and unprecedented quest” by the administration for “millions of Americans’ confidential voter data.”

Lawyers also argue that eligible voters will be disenfranchised by hits from outdated or incomplete data.

Nel came to the United States from South Africa with his parents at age 8. His parents became citizens when he was 16, making him a citizen, as well. He said he has voted regularly since he was 18.

Yet he received a letter in October in a white envelope that looked to him like junk mail. It told him he had been identified as a potential noncitizen through a SAVE check of Texas’ 18 million voter registrations. He had 30 days to prove otherwise — a deadline he missed because of the time it took to get a new passport.

“It’s clear that this process that they’ve put into place for this doesn’t work,” he said.

Defenders say the SAVE system is a first step

Republican officials said the administration does not portray SAVE searches as foolproof. Instead, it identifies registrations that should be further investigated, they said.

In Kansas, Schwab’s office is still investigating its list of flagged registrations and has yet to disclose the number of hits of potentially ineligible voters from a SAVE check of the state’s 2 million registrations.

Once his office forwards flagged names to county officials, a state law enacted this year requires them to list the registrations as “in suspense” or “pending” until the cases are resolved. A flagged person still can vote, but the ballot is set aside for further review and might not be counted.

Texas is supposed to give people with flagged registrations 30 days to prove they are properly registered. North Carolina will require county elections boards to give people whose registrations are challenged a hearing before they can be canceled.

A new Ohio law requires local election boards to “promptly” cancel the registrations of people whom the secretary of state identifies as noncitizens during registration checks that the official is required to make at least monthly.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, said in an email that people’s voting rights are not in danger because “all they need to do to immediately restore their registration status is show proof of citizenship.”

But Levenson, the ACLU lawyer, described the approach differently.

“Shoot first and ask questions later,” she said.

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Associated Press writers Jack Dura in Bismarck, North Dakota, and Gary Robertson, in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this report.

The incident took place on Lawson Street, in Seaton Carew, when the man disturbed the male suspect at about 2.40am this morning (Sunday, May 17). 

He was assaulted and left with facial injuries, leaving him in hospital. Cleveland Police said nothing was stolen during the incident.

The suspect is described as a white male, aged 30 to 40 years old, of stocky build, clean shaven, and around 5ft 6” to 5ft 8” tall. 

He was wearing a dark coloured hat and dark coloured bottoms which were tucked into his socks. 

Detective Inspector Jolene Bolton, from Cleveland Police, said: “We understand this incident would have been terrifying for the victim, and may be unsettling for others in the area. 

We would like to reassure local people that we are doing everything possible to identify and locate the suspect as soon as we can, and we would like anyone with information or CCTV footage in the area to get in touch with us. 

We will also be carrying out reassurance patrols in the local area.”

Anyone who may have information, or anyone with CCTV in the area, is asked to contact Cleveland Police on 101, quoting reference number 093313.

Footage can also be uploaded directly here. 

Crimestoppers can also be contacted anonymously online or by calling 0800 555 111.

Nick Miles, who has played Jimmy King since 2004, is reportedly being killed off later this year.

Jimmy first arrived alongside his dad and brothers and has undergone many storylines during his time on the ITV soap.

His exit is rumoured to coincide with the return of ex-wife Sadie King (Patsy Kensit), whose return was announced earlier this week.

Emmerdale’s Jimmy King to be ‘killed off’ after 22 years

Jimmy made his first appearance in February 2004 and has appeared on the show ever since.

He has evolved from a hard, cold businessman to a devoted husband and a comical character.

His storylines on the ITV soap have included his various business dealings, a feud with the Sugden family and being stabbed by Daz Eden (Luke Tittensor) following an arson attack.

His character has also gone through a breakdown of his marriage to Sadie (Patsy Kensit) and his marriage to Nicola.

He currently owns half of the Home James haulage company, but is often seen propping up the counter at the Main Street Café alongside Nicola (Nicola Wheeler).

According to reports, actor Miles is still filming scenes on the soap and will be on screen until the autumn.

His death will see a “jaw-dropping stunt” that will have a “far-reaching impact on the village”, Radio Times reports.

The news of Jimmy’s exit was first reported by The Sun.

A source told the publisher: “Once the decision was made that Nick would be leaving, the writers quickly realised his character wouldn’t abandon his wife and children so they had to kill him off.

“That’s what made them approach Patsy about returning.”

Patsy Kensit returning to Emmerdale

It was confirmed earlier this week that Patsy Kensit would be returning to Emmerdale after two decades to reprise her role as Sadie King.

The actress played the villainous character on the ITV soap for a two-year stint between 2004 and 2006, and will return later this year.

Kensit said: “I am really excited to return to Emmerdale. I treasure the years I was here before.

“Sadie King is a character that I really loved playing. The cast and crew are absolutely brilliant and I am so grateful for the chance to return to the show, it’s absolutely amazing.”

Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw added: “We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Patsy Kensit back to the cast, and crucially to see the iconic Sadie King storm back into the village.

“Her return will be explosive and guaranteed to shock. Sadie’s seductive demeanour, combined with her utterly ruthless nature, are set to deliver a spectacular and highly dramatic touch of class to the Yorkshire Dales.”

Emmerdale fans are also set to welcome two new faces in the coming months.

The fresh arrivals are expected later this year to strengthen two of the show’s families – the Tates and the Sugdens.

Emmerdale boss Laura Shaw revealed plans to expand the families during an interview with Inside Soap, but fans don’t yet know who they will be or the connections they have with the existing characters.

Laura said: “At the heart of last year, I wanted to cement the families in our show.”

She continued: “Everyone always talks about the Dingles, but I felt like we needed to build up some of the other families – that’s probably what I’m most proud of.”

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and from 7am on ITVX.

Who is your favourite character on Emmerdale? Let us know in the comments below.

He died in hospital on Saturday, four days after a ‘serious assault’

Police have shared an image of the man at the centre of a murder investigation in East Belfast.

Detectives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Major Investigation Team are continuing to appeal for information and witnesses after Nicholas (Nicky) Gordon, 51, died in hospital following a serious assault on Tuesday.

Emergency services were called to reports of an incident at an apartment in the Holywood Road area in the early hours of May 12. The victim died in hosptial on Saturday.

READ MORE: Murder investigation launched after man dies following East Belfast break-inREAD MORE: Emergency services called to reports of man’s body in the water at Co Down park

Detective Chief Inspector Duffie said: “Our thoughts are with Nicholas’ family and friends at this sad time as they try to come to terms with their loss, and as we continue to examine the exact circumstances of what happened.“Two people arrested on suspicion of offences including aggravated burglary with intent to commit grievous bodily harm have since been released on bail – and we continue to work at pace to seek others who may be involved.“Today, Sunday 17th May, we are releasing a reporting portal that members of the public can use to share any information that may help us with this investigation.“I would reiterate our earlier appeal that anyone who may have information that could assist us, to contact police on 101, quoting reference number 224 12/05/26. Any detail, no matter how small, could prove crucial to our investigation.“We would also like to hear from anyone who was in the Holywood Road area on Tuesday, 12th May between 4am and 8.30am and noticed suspicious behaviour to get in touch.“Residents in this area will continue to see a police presence over the next few days, as our investigation develops.”Photos and footage, including CCTV, mobile phone or dash cam footage, can be shared with police through the Major Incident Public Portal here: https://mipp.police.uk/operation/PSNI26W08-PO1Alternatively, you can submit a report or information online using the non-emergency reporting form via www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/ or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org/

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Chelsea hired Xabi Alonso as manager on Sunday on a four-year deal starting next season, with the Spaniard returning to coaching after a short, rocky spell at Real Madrid and tasked with bringing stability to a club that has become dysfunctional under its American ownership.

Alonso will formally take charge on July 1 as the replacement for Liam Rosenior, who was fired last month, and will become the fifth permanent coach appointed by Chelsea owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital since they bought the Premier League team in 2022.

Alonso lasted eight months at Madrid before leaving the Spanish giants by mutual consent in January after poor results and widespread media reports that he lost control of a locker room wracked by infighting and disharmony this season.

Before that, the former Spain midfielder had built a strong reputation at Bayer Leverkusen, which he led to the German title and an unbeaten domestic campaign in the 2023-24 season, and Chelsea described Alonso as “one of the most respected figures in the modern game.”

“From my conversations with the ownership group and sporting leadership, it is clear we share the same ambition,” Alonso said in a Chelsea statement. “We want to build a team capable of competing consistently at the highest level and fighting for trophies.”

Without a domestic trophy for eight years, Chelsea was European champion as recently as 2021 and won the Club World Cup against most pundits’ expectations last summer.

However, Chelsea looks highly unlikely to be in next season’s Champions League and might miss out on European competition entirely after a huge dip in form in the second half of the campaign. The club was guaranteed a trophyless season by losing to Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday.

“There is great talent in the squad and huge potential at this football club and it will be my great honor to lead it,” Alonso said. “Now the focus is on hard work, building the right culture and winning trophies.”

Storm clouds are hovering over Chelsea

After an unseemly end to Rosenior’s turbulent tenure, Chelsea’s ownership said it would be undertaking “a process of self-reflection” ahead of its next coaching appointment, amid growing tension among supporters about the direction of the club and its massive financial concerns following years of heavy spending.

In the four years under Boehly and Clearlake, around $2.5 billion has been spent on new, mostly young and unproven players on long contracts while the club has taken on a debt approaching $2 billion, according to figures compiled by The Athletic.

Chelsea’s most recent financial results revealed the club made pre-tax losses of $350 million, a record in the Premier League era.

It’s with this backdrop that Alonso — who has long been linked with a potential move to Liverpool, another of his former teams — heads to Chelsea, which he described as “one of the biggest clubs in world football.”

“His appointment,” Chelsea said, “reflects the club’s belief in his broad set of experiences, coaching quality and game model, leadership attributes, character and integrity, which were key to the decision to ask him to help lead the next phase of Chelsea’s journey.

“He is regarded not only as an outstanding football coach, but also as a proven leader and partner across a number of areas essential to the demands of driving the team.”

McFarlane remains in temporary charge

Chelsea has two games left this season — against Tottenham and Sunderland in the Premier League — for which interim coach Calum McFarlane will stay in charge.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Now that Wes Streeting and Andy Burnham have both effectively thrown their hats into the ring for a possible Labour leadership contest, their allies have been making the case for their man to replace Keir Starmer.

Here we take a look at who they are – and why they are supporting their candidate.

Andy Burnham

Josh Simons

Simons surprised Westminster this week by announcing he would stand down in his Makerfield seat to allow Mr Burnham to run for Parliament. Previously seen as an ally of home secretary Shabana Mahmood he has warned Labour faces an “existential” crisis without Mr Burnham’s leadership.

Lucy Powell

Labour’s deputy leader is a longtime ally and close friend of the mayor of Greater Manchester. On Friday she said she “fully supports” his bid to be the Labour candidate in Makerfield, adding: “We’ve got to do our politics differently, we’ve got to end the factionalism, we’ve got to embrace all the different traditions of the Labour Party, all the different voices and bring one team back together.

“And that means having Andy Burnham as a key player in that team, in my view.”

Heidi Alexander

The transport secretary is still a member of Keir Starmer’s cabinet and has said this week that he has her “full support”. But she is expected to back Mr Burnham if an election contest gets underway.

‘Soft Left’ Labour MPs

Many of the party’s ‘soft left’ wing are understood to support Mr Burnham and back his call for what has been dubbed “Manchesterism” to be applied more widely across the country. They will have been buoyed by an interview he gave to Channel 4 News on Saturday in which he said: “We need a different path completely. What is that path? Put more things back under stronger public control: energy, housing, water, transport.

“I’ve done that with buses in Greater Manchester.”

Wes Streeting

Jess Phillips

The former minister resigned from Keir Starmer’s team last week. She has said the ex-health secretary showed the “bravery and boldness” needed in government. She told the BBC: “The prime minister does definitely care about violence against women and girls, don’t get me wrong, but what I see from Wes is bravery and boldness.”

Zubir Ahmed

The Glasgow South West MP also resigned this week – as a health minister – and is seen as a close ally of Mr Streeting. He also used his resignation letter to publicly criticise Sir Keir’s leadership.

Chris Curtis

With Mr Ahmed, another member of the 2024 intake which brought huge numbers of new Labour MPs to Parliament. The MP for Milton Keynes North, he is the influential chair of the influential Labour Growth Group, which campaigns on economic and planning reform.

Peter Kyle

The business secretary has so far remained loyal to Keir Starmer. But the Hove and Portslade MP is a close friend of Streeting. He was forced to deny they had plotted in the wake of the disastrous local election results, saying instead they had gone out to dinner and to watch The Devil Wears Prada 2.

MPs on the right of the Labour party

Mr Streeting is viewed with suspicion by some MPs on the left of the party, who fear he is too right-leaning. But his supporters argue he is the only one who can save Labour and the country from a Reform-led government after the next election.

The Wigan MP added: “While the North of England has driven so much sporting excellence, no matter the talent we produce, the sporting moments we create, and the world-class events we attract – for too long we have been told the Olympics is simply too big and too important to be hosted in the North.