Mystery surrounds Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya after Doha strike, absent from son’s funeral

Al-Hayya has served as acting Hamas leader in Gaza since the killing of Yahya Sinwar.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Uncertainty surrounded the fate of senior Hamas figures on Thursday, with acting Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya missing from funeral photos released by the group in Doha two days after an Israeli airstrike on its leadership compound.

Al-Hayya’s son was killed in the strike, and his wife and daughter-in-law were reportedly injured.

The images, published by Hamas and showing Qatar’s emir among the mourners, included senior officials Osama Hamdan and Izzat al-Rishq.

Al-Hayya, however, was absent, fueling speculation about his condition. Hamas spokesman Fozi Barhoum said that al-Hayya’s chief of staff, Jihad Labad, and three escorts were also eliminated.

Al-Hayya has served as acting Hamas leader in Gaza since the killing of Yahya Sinwar.

Once imprisoned in Israel and targeted multiple times, he has lived in Qatar in recent years.

His absence from his son’s funeral and the lack of any photos or videos of him since the attack have led many to conclude he was at least seriously wounded, if not dead, when the Israeli Air Force fired roughly 10 missiles at his residence.

Other leaders’ whereabouts remain uncertain. Conflicting reports have circulated regarding Mohammed Darwish, Mousa Abu Marzook, and Zahir Jabarin, while former Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal is widely believed to have survived, though without public confirmation.

Some analysts suggest the officials are deliberately keeping a low profile to avoid further Israeli strikes.

Initial optimism in Israel that several top Hamas leaders had been killed faded by Wednesday as assessments turned more cautious.

Hamas quickly declared that its leaders survived, though the group has previously concealed losses for months before admitting them.

Arab media later suggested the officials may have survived by leaving their phones in one room while moving to another to pray.

By Thursday evening, none of the targeted figures had appeared publicly. Only Husam Badran issued a statement.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz also avoided confirming any eliminations, hinting that Israel may not have fully achieved its objectives. Some officials may yet succumb to injuries sustained in the strike.