Khalil al-Hayya the newly elected leader of Hamas

The name of the leader Khalil al-Hayya emerged during the ongoing war of genocide on the Gaza Strip as one of the most prominent faces of the political leadership of the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, as he took over the management of the indirect negotiations file with Israel, and led the Movement’s delegations in regional mediation rounds, in a stage described as the most complex in years, with the escalation of the Israeli aggression and increasing international pressure for a ceasefire.
 

Al-Hayya occupied an advanced position within the structure of the Movement, as a member of its political bureau and deputy to its head in the Gaza Strip before he took over the presidency of Gaza, and he is one of the leaders who combined dawah, academic, and political work, leading to prominent negotiating roles during pivotal stations of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Leading negotiations amid war

With the outbreak of the Flood of al-Aqsa on 7 October 2023 and the subsequent extensive war on Gaza, the leader al-Hayya topped the forefront of the political scene of the Movement, as he led its delegation to Cairo in February 2024 to finalize the ceasefire talks, and continued as head of the negotiating team in indirect sessions mediated by Egypt and Qatar, according to official statements of the Movement and reports published by international agencies, including Reuters.

He also participated in managing the prisoners exchange file, and appeared in multiple media interviews defending the Movement’s positions, and stressing that any agreement must guarantee a comprehensive cessation of military operations and lifting the siege on the Strip.

Upbringing and education

Khalil Ismail al-Hayya was born on 5 November 1960 in Gaza City, and grew up in a conservative Palestinian environment affected by the repercussions of the 1967 Naksa, which left an early impact on his political awareness, especially with his family being subjected to raids and arrests by the Israeli army. He received his basic and secondary education in Gaza schools, before joining the Islamic University, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Fundamentals of Religion in 1983.

He continued his postgraduate studies at the University of Jordan, obtaining a master’s degree in Sunnah and Hadith Sciences in 1986, then a doctorate in the same specialization from the University of the Holy Quran and Islamic Sciences in Sudan in 1997.

Academic and organizational path

The leader al-Hayya began his professional career as a teaching assistant at the Islamic University in Gaza, and progressed in its administrative positions until he took over the deanship of student affairs in 2001, and he was also active in union work and took over the presidency of the university employees union.

Politically, he was elected as a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council in 2006 for the Change and Reform list affiliated with Hamas, and headed its parliamentary bloc, and he also occupied leadership positions within the Movement, including the presidency of the Arab and Islamic Relations Office, and the Central Media Office.

Struggle experience and repeated arrests

Al-Hayya became involved early in organized Islamic work after meeting the founder of Hamas, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, at the beginning of the eighties, and participated in the activities of the Islamic Bloc inside the university, before becoming involved in popular and organizational work during the first Palestinian Intifada in 1987.

He was subjected to arrest three times by the Israeli occupation forces, most notably in 1991, when he spent three years in prison, and he was also subjected to torture during his first arrests, according to what was documented by Palestinian sources.

Repeated targeting and sacrifices

Khalil al-Hayya was subjected to several assassination attempts, most notably in 2007 when an Israeli raid targeted his family’s home, which led to the martyrdom of seven of his relatives. In 2008, his son Hamza, who was a member of the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, was martyred in an Israeli raid. His son Osama was also martyred along with a number of his family members in a bombardment that targeted his home east of Gaza in 2014, while the leader al-Hayya survived another assassination attempt.

The targeting of his homes continued during the rounds of Israeli aggression, including a raid in October 2023. His son Hammam was martyred in the Israeli targeting of the headquarters of the Movement’s negotiating delegation in the Qatari capital, Doha, in September 2025. Then his fourth son, Azzam, was martyred in May 2026, succumbing to wounds he sustained as a result of an Israeli bombardment that targeted al-Daraj neighborhood east of Gaza City.

Khalil al-Hayya participated in a number of regional visits, including a visit by a Hamas delegation to Damascus in 2022, and he headed the Movement’s delegation to Lebanon in November 2023 to meet the leadership of Hezbollah, within the framework of coordinating positions during the war, according to statements issued by the Movement.