Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official targeted by Israel in Qatar, is known as one of the organization's most experienced figures.
According to **Modern.az**, he has been both a key mediator in ceasefire negotiations and a central figure in establishing relations with the Arab and Islamic world.
Al-Hayya, who joined Hamas, founded in 1987, from day one, is a member of the organization's five-person leadership council. This council leads the organization after Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, who were killed in Israeli strikes last year.
Al-Hayya has also acted as a key figure in ceasefire negotiations with Israel during the course of the Gaza war.
Khalil al-Hayya, born in Gaza in 1960, has been arrested multiple times by Israel. He has lost many close relatives from his family in Israeli airstrikes. In 2007, his relatives were killed as a result of an airstrike on his home in Gaza. And in 2014, his eldest son Osama, his wife, and three children were killed in an Israeli attack.
Hayya has lived in Qatar for many years and from there manages Hamas's relations with Arab and Islamic countries. He is also known for his close relations with Iran and has accompanied Ismail Haniyeh on visits to Tehran. In 2022, leading a Hamas delegation, he traveled to Damascus to restore relations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Hayya had previously called the October 7, 2023 attacks a "limited operation", stating that the goal was to capture Israeli soldiers and exchange them for Palestinians. He had emphasized that these attacks brought the Palestinian issue back to the international agenda.
It is reported that the Hamas delegation targeted in Qatar during Israel's recent attacks, including Khalil al-Hayya, survived the strike. Some sources do not confirm this information, and news of his death has spread.
**Elnur Amirov**
