Following the death of Yahya Sinwar in Israeli attacks on Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya was appointed Head of the Hamas Political Bureau. Al-Hayya has become one of the key figures shaping both the political stance and external relations of the organization. Holding a doctorate in Islamic jurisprudence, al-Hayya worked as an academic at the Islamic University of Gaza before actively entering politics.
Born in Gaza City on November 5, 1960, al-Hayya was raised in a conservative family deeply impacted by the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and the subsequent Israeli occupation. Joining Hamas during the First Intifada, al-Hayya rose through the ranks of the organization over the years, holding critical positions in both the administrative structure in Gaza and its foreign missions.
Appointed Head of the Office for Relations with the Arab and Islamic World in Hamas’s last internal elections held in 2021, Khalil al-Hayya subsequently served as Yahya Sinwar’s deputy. Following Sinwar, he took over as the movement’s chief in Gaza as of October 2024, becoming one of Israel’s primary targets. He managed to survive Israeli airstrikes in 2007 and 2014, though he lost numerous relatives, including his wife and children, in these attacks.
Having become a key figure in Hamas’s engagements with the outside world, regional actors, and mediating countries throughout his political career, al-Hayya has particularly stood out as the organization’s chief negotiator and spokesman in ceasefire and prisoner exchange negotiations. Thanks to both his connection to the reality on the ground in Gaza and his influence within the diplomatic wing abroad, he is currently one of the most decisive actors at the center of Hamas’s governance, diplomacy, and decision-making apparatus.
