Who is Khalil al-Hayya, one of the Hamas officials targeted by Israel?
Reports say that senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya was the main target of Israel’s attack in Doha. But who is al-Hayya, and what role does he play within Hamas?
Al-Hayya has taken on a greater role in the Palestinian group following the killing of leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar last year, overseeing ceasefire negotiations as the top negotiator and acting as the exiled head of Gaza affairs in Doha.
Al-Hayya was born in Gaza in 1960 and has been part of Hamas since the group first came together in 1987. He has lost several family members, including his son, to Israeli strikes.
In 2007, an Israeli air strike hit his family home in Gaza City’s Sejaiyeh quarter, killing several of his relatives, and during the 2014 war between Hamas and Israel, the house of Hayya’s eldest son, Osama, was bombed, killing him, his wife and three of their children. Al-Hayya was not present during those attacks.
He left Gaza several years ago and has based himself in Doha, becoming one of the most influential members of Hamas abroad and serving as a pivotal figure for connections with the rest of the Arab and Islamic world.
Which Hamas leaders has Israel assassinated recently?
Israel has killed several senior Hamas leaders as it targeted the Palestinian group after its attack on October 7, 2023.
- January 2024: An Israeli drone struck a building in southern Beirut, Lebanon, killing Hamas’ deputy head Saleh al-Arouri.
- March 2024: A strike on Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza killed Marwan Issa, the deputy leader of the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas.
- July 2024: The political leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, Iran’s capital, where he had travelled for the inauguration of the country’s new president.
- October 2024: Israeli forces killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in southern Gaza.
Khalil al-Hayya survived, but his son and aide were killed: Hamas official
Suhail al-Hindi, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, confirms that the group’s leadership that was targeted in Doha has survived the attack. Al-Hindi told Al Jazeera repeatedly that the group’s leaders are okay.
Al-Hindi said the attempt to kill Khalil al-Hayya and other Hamas leaders who were meeting to discuss Trump’s ceasefire proposal has failed. But the attack killed al-Hayya’s son, Humam, and one of his top aides. Contact has also been lost with three other bodyguards, al-Hindi said.
But he stressed that the loss of any lives is tragic. “The blood of the leadership of the movement is like the blood of any Palestinian child,” he told Al Jazeera.
Suhail al-Hindi, the Hamas official, says the attack in Doha targeted Hamas and Qatar primarily, but it is an aggression on all Arabs, Muslims and free people across the world. “The free world must reject this heinous crime – the attempt to kill those discussing ending the war on Gaza,” he told Al Jazeera.
Al-Hindi called for tangible stances against Israel to end its assault against Palestinians. “Condemnations and statements are not enough,” he said.
Qatari security officer killed in Israeli strikes: Interior Ministry
Qatar’s Interior Ministry says a member of the country’s security forces was killed and others were wounded in Israeli’s attack on Doha.
“Specialised crews are continuing to inspect and secure the targeted area with the explosives division of the internal security forces,” the ministry said.
Hamas confirms leaders survived, six others killed in Israeli attack
In its first official statement after the strikes in Doha, Hamas says the Israeli attack aimed to scuttle the ceasefire and prisoner exchange talks.
The group also confirmed that its top leaders survived the assassination attempt while six others, including the son of its Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya and one of his aides, as well as a Qatari officer, were killed.
“This once again reveals the criminal nature of the occupation and its desire to undermine any chances of reaching an agreement,” Hamas said.
