Khalil al-Hayya, a high-ranking 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 since its establishment in 1987, 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 also acted as a key figure in ceasefire negotiations with Israel during the Gaza war.
Khalil al-Hayya, born in Gaza in 1960, has been arrested multiple times by Israel. He has lost many close relatives in Israeli airstrikes. In 2007, his relatives were killed as a result of an airstrike on his home in Gaza. 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, managing Hamas's relations with Arab and Islamic countries from there. He is also known for his close ties with Iran and accompanied Ismail Haniyeh on visits to Tehran. In 2022, he led a Hamas delegation 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 emphasized that these attacks brought the Palestinian issue back to the international agenda.
It is reported that the Hamas delegation targeted in Qatar during recent Israeli attacks, including Khalil al-Hayya, survived the strike. Some sources do not confirm this information, and reports of his death have circulated.
Elnur Əmirov
