Khalil al-Hayya, the Hamas powerbroker rising after Sinwar

Since the start of the current war in Gaza, al-Hayya has headed Hamas’s negotiating team for a ceasefire-and-hostage-release deal.

By Shachar Kleinman, JNS via Israel Hayom

Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya has stirred significant anger across the Arab world in recent days, after calling on citizens of Jordan and Egypt to march toward the Gaza border. But who exactly is he?

Before Oct. 7, 2023, al-Hayya served as deputy to Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar. He left the Gaza Strip before the Oct. 7 onslaught on Israel and has since mostly been based in Qatar, though he has also made visits to Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon and Syria.

Born during the Egyptian occupation in the Gaza Strip in November 1960, al-Hayya joined Hamas during the 1987–1993 First Intifada against Israel.

He was arrested in the early 1990s and served a three-year prison sentence in Israel for involvement in terrorism.

He later completed a doctorate in Islamic studies at the University of the Holy Quran and Islamic Sciences in Sudan, one of the key smuggling hubs in Iran’s weapons supply route to Hamas.

It was during this period that he began building ties with senior officials in the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He eventually returned to Gaza via Egypt.

During the 2006 Palestinian Legislative Council elections, al-Hayya ran on the Hamas list, which won a majority. He was subsequently appointed a member of parliament.

About a year later, the parliament was effectively dissolved following Hamas’s violent takeover of the Gaza Strip and the expulsion of Fatah forces.

Over the years, al-Hayya survived several assassination attempts, some of which killed members of his family.

He also participated in numerous Hamas delegations abroad and was elected in internal Hamas elections as a member of the political bureau in Gaza.

In 2021, he was appointed deputy to Sinwar. Since the start of the current war in Gaza, al-Hayya has headed Hamas’s negotiating team for a ceasefire-and-hostage-release deal.

In practice, he has served as Sinwar’s representative of Hamas overseas, largely due to Sinwar’s mistrust of Khaled Mashaal and other senior Hamas figures in exile.

Eyes political bureau leadership

At the same time, al-Hayya maintained close ties with Tehran and was among the senior Hamas officials who met with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

His alignment with the Iranian axis was underscored last year by a visit to Syria, where he met with senior Assad regime officials.

The trip was part of the Hamas effort to restore ties with Damascus, which were severed after the group supported Sunni Syrian rebels during the civil war.

Al-Hayya was lightly wounded in the Israeli assassination strike that killed Ismail Haniyeh, the chairman of the Hamas political bureau, in Tehran on July 31, 2024. Footage released afterward showed him with his leg bandaged.

After the IDF killed Sinwar in Gaza, al-Hayya was appointed to Hamas’s five-member leadership council. He is also acting head of the Gaza bureau, pending a formal vote for the post.

Hamas insiders believe al-Hayya intends to run for the leadership of the political bureau. Until then, he remains the group’s main spokesperson for significant public statements.

However, it appears Hamas has chosen to split leadership roles to reduce the risk of Israel eliminating the bureau in a single strike.