{"id":2652,"date":"2025-09-10T00:36:57","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T00:36:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2025\/09\/10\/who-is-khalil-al-hayya-who-else-was-targeted-in-israels-attack-on-qatar\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T00:36:57","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T00:36:57","slug":"who-is-khalil-al-hayya-who-else-was-targeted-in-israels-attack-on-qatar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2025\/09\/10\/who-is-khalil-al-hayya-who-else-was-targeted-in-israels-attack-on-qatar\/","title":{"rendered":"Who is Khalil al-Hayya, who else was targeted in Israel\u2019s attack on Qatar?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Israel\u2019s military described its <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/liveblog\/2025\/9\/9\/live-israel-pounds-gaza-city-as-netanyahu-tells-residents-to-leave-now\">attack<\/a> on a residential complex in central Doha, Qatar, as a \u201cprecise\u201d attack.<\/p>\n<p>In an official statement on Tuesday, the Palestinian movement Hamas <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/9\/9\/hamas-leadership-survived-israels-assassination-bid-in-doha-official\">said<\/a> the attack killed five of its members, and a Qatari officer, but did not eliminate its negotiating delegation or any of its senior leadership.<\/p>\n<section>\n<h2>Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n<p><span>list of 3 items<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span>list 1 of 3<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/9\/9\/analysis-israel-leaps-over-red-lines-in-attack-on-qatari-capital-doha\">Analysis: Israel leaps over red lines in attack on Qatari capital Doha<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 2 of 3<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/9\/9\/israel-attacks-hamas-leadership-in-qatar-all-to-know\">Israel attacks Hamas leadership in Qatar: All to know<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 3 of 3<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/9\/9\/why-does-qatar-host-hamass-political-office\">Why does Qatar host Hamas\u2019s political office?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>Here is what we know about the victims, and the senior leaders who were targeted \u2013 but who appear to have survived the attack:<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"who-is-khalil-al-hayya\">Who is Khalil al-Hayya?<\/h2>\n<p>Reports say the strike targeted senior Hamas figures, including Khalil al-Hayya, the group\u2019s exiled Gaza leader and main negotiator.<\/p>\n<p>Al-Hayya rose in importance after the killings of top Hamas leaders <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2024\/7\/31\/who-was-ismail-haniyeh-the-hamas-political-chief-killed-in-iran\">Ismail Haniyeh<\/a> in Tehran, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2024\/10\/18\/how-was-yahya-sinwar-killed-what-we-know-so-far\">Yahya Sinwar<\/a> in Gaza, and military commander <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2024\/7\/14\/who-is-mohammed-deif-the-hamas-military-commander-in-gaza\">Mohammed Deif<\/a> last year. Sinwar, who had taken charge in Gaza after Haniyeh\u2019s death, was killed later in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>With those losses, al-Hayya is now one of five leaders steering <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/9\/9\/why-does-qatar-host-hamass-political-office\">Hamas\u2019s leadership council.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The leadership council refers to the temporary, five-member ruling committee that was formed in late 2024 to govern the group during the war.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3937066\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3937066\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025-09-09T140309Z_155653983_RC2U79AKY09B_RTRMADP_3_QATAR-SECURITY-1757448112.jpg?w=770&#038;resize=770%2C513&#038;quality=80\" alt=\"Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya sits at a mourning house for assassinated Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3937066\">Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya sits at a mourning house for assassinated Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Doha, [File: Ibraheem Abu Mustafa\/Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p data-start=\"341\" data-end=\"519\">Born in the Gaza Strip in 1960, al-Hayya has been part of Hamas since it was set up in 1987, but he became especially important on the diplomatic front, based mainly in Qatar, which became the main hub for mediation with other countries, including Israel, Egypt, and the United States.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"341\" data-end=\"519\">Operating outside Gaza allowed him to travel and coordinate between neighbouring countries without the constraints of the Israeli blockade on Gaza. Al-Hayya has also led Hamas\u2019s delegations in mediated talks with Israel to try to secure a Gaza ceasefire deal.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"390\" data-end=\"744\">Al-Hayya\u2019s own family have suffered as a result of Israeli attacks: During the 2014 war, an Israeli strike destroyed the house of his eldest son, Osama, killing him, his wife, and three of their children, and during Tuesday\u2019s attack, his son, Humam, was also killed.<\/p>\n<p>But he stressed that the loss of any lives is tragic. \u201cThe blood of the leadership of the movement is like the blood of any Palestinian child,\u201d he told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"who-else-is-believed-to-be-targeted-and-who-was-killed-during-the-attack\">Who else is believed to be targeted and who was killed during the attack?<\/h2>\n<p id=\"zaher-jabarin\">Zaher Jabarin is believed to also have been a target of Israel\u2019s attack. He currently serves as the movement\u2019s chief financial administrator.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier in 1993, Israel arrested Jabarin and sentenced him to life imprisonment. He spent almost two decades in prison before being released in 2011 as part of a prisoner exchange.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"618\" data-end=\"1075\">Following his release, Jabarin rose quickly through Hamas ranks. He became head of the group\u2019s financial bureau, managing and overseeing an extensive investment and funding network. He currently also heads Hamas in the occupied West Bank, and he is one of the five members of the leadership council.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"618\" data-end=\"1075\">The leaders assassinated during Israel\u2019s attack in Qatar also include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-start=\"618\" data-end=\"1075\">Jihad Labad \u2013 director of al-Hayya\u2019s office<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"618\" data-end=\"1075\">Humam al-Hayya \u2013 al-Hayya\u2019s son<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"618\" data-end=\"1075\">Abdullah Abdul Wahid \u2013 bodyguard<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"618\" data-end=\"1075\">Moamen Hassouna \u2013 bodyguard<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"618\" data-end=\"1075\">Ahmed al-Mamluk \u2013 bodyguard<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/9\/8\/will-trumps-new-gaza-ceasefire-proposal-end-israels-genocide\">sixth person killed<\/a>, according to Qatar, was Corporal Bader Saad Mohammed al-Humaidi al-Dosari, a member of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya).<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"who-are-the-current-leaders-of-hamas\">Who are the current leaders of Hamas?<\/h2>\n<p>With many of Hamas\u2019s leadership killed since Israel\u2019s war on Gaza began in October 2023, the group formed a five-man leadership council \u2013 which includes al-Hayya and Jabarin \u2013 and also has a senior military figure in Gaza itself.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Izz al-Din al-Haddad<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Al-Haddad became the most senior Hamas military leader in the Gaza Strip after Sinwar\u2019s death. Israel considers him one of the masterminds behind October 7 and has placed him on its most-wanted list. He is not a member of the five-man leadership council.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Khaled Meshaal<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Khaled Meshaal, 68, has been a senior political leader of Hamas, a Palestinian resistance movement, since the 1990s. He became known when Israeli agents attempted to inject a slow-acting lethal chemical into his ear on a public street in Jordan, but the operation was botched, and the men were soon arrested. He is now based in Qatar, serving on the leadership council.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is true that in reality, there will be an entity or a state called Israel on the rest of Palestinian land,\u201d Meshaal has said. \u201cBut I won\u2019t deal with it in terms of recognising or admitting it.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_913154\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-913154\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/9629868a1930430a81808b3a45ab3061_18.jpeg?w=770&#038;resize=770%2C433&#038;quality=80\" alt=\"Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal speaks during an interview with Reuters in Doha\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-913154\">Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal speaks during an interview [File: Fadi Al-Assaad\/Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"mohammad-darwish\"><strong>Mohammad Darwish<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>He is also based in Qatar, and is the nominal head of Hamas\u2019s leadership council. According to reports, in early 2025, he met Turkiye\u2019s President Erdogan and publicly endorsed the idea of a technocratic or national unity government for post-war Gaza.<\/p>\n<h3>Nizar Awadallah<\/h3>\n<p>Awadallah is a long-time Hamas leader. He is seen as one of Hamas\u2019s original members and has held several important positions, including in its armed wing. Since the October 7 attacks, he has not spoken publicly or appeared in the media.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3496542\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3496542\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/AP25039370021943-1739017151.jpg?w=770&#038;resize=770%2C507&#038;quality=80\" alt=\"Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei greets Nizar Awadallah, a member of Hamas's leadership council.\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3496542\">In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right, greets Nizar Awadallah, a member of Hamas leadership council [File: AP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Israel\u2019s military described its attack on a residential complex in central Doha, Qatar, as a \u201cprecise\u201d attack. In an official statement on Tuesday, the Palestinian movement Hamas said the attack killed five of its members, and a Qatari officer, but did not eliminate its negotiating delegation or any of its senior leadership. Recommended Stories list &#8230; <a title=\"Who is Khalil al-Hayya, who else was targeted in Israel\u2019s attack on Qatar?\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2025\/09\/10\/who-is-khalil-al-hayya-who-else-was-targeted-in-israels-attack-on-qatar\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Who is Khalil al-Hayya, who else was targeted in Israel\u2019s attack on Qatar?\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2653,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2652"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2652\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}