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Khalil al-Hayya

Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya in an interview with Qatar's Al-Araby channel, on September 26, 2026. (Al-Araby/X screenshot)
September 27, 2026, 5:48 am
Hamas leader: Gaza roadmap we agreed to includes establishment of Palestinian state
Hayya does not explicitly say whether terror group will disarm, but says its weapons would be addressed as part of ‘package’ with ceasefire implementation and independence
By ToI Staff and Emanuel Fabian
File: Iran's then-supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right, greets Khalil al-Hayya, then a member of Hamas leadership council, during their meeting in Tehran, Feb. 8, 2025. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)
August 19, 2026, 5:18 pm
Hamas must be drained of its money as well as its weapons
Gaza’s terror group is rearming, in part with money from the daily influx of aid * Plus: Netanyahu’s party primary brings an overdue farewell to some members of the Likud demolition crew, but the main wreckers remain
By David Horovitz
US President Donald Trump (left) greets Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during a summit on Gaza in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh on October 13, 2025. (Evan Vucci / POOL / AFP)
August 19, 2026, 3:08 am
Palestinian official worries US ‘replicating’ PM’s strategy of boosting Hamas at PA’s expense
Concern expressed to ToI after Kushner meets with Hamas chief and Netanyahu, while ignoring Ramallah; Trump aide says PA should focus on reforms, which the official accuses Jerusalem of hobbling
By Jacob Magid
US envoy Jared Kushner (left) and Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya (right) in a photo montage. (Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP; AP/Khalil Hamra)
August 16, 2026, 6:33 pm
Kushner meets Hamas chief in Egypt in push for Gaza disarmament; IDF continues strikes
Hamas says it will only begin disarming if Netanyahu publicly commits to plan, diplomat tells ToI; Egyptian, Turkish and Qatari mediators also present; after his first meet with terror group head since ceasefire, Kushner flies to Israel
By Jacob Magid, Emanuel Fabian and Agencies
A displaced Palestinian man walks with his children at a camp in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Augist 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
August 16, 2026, 4:03 am
IDF: Tank in Gaza hit by explosive device in ‘grave’ truce breach; no soldiers hurt
Military says troops killed pair of terrorists who crossed Yellow Line to sabotage weapons; Hamas chief Hayya set to visit Cairo amid US efforts to advance disarmament plan
By Emanuel Fabian, ToI Staff and AFP
Head of Realign for Palestine Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan on this week's What Matters Now. (AP/courtesy)
July 23, 2026, 4:09 am
Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib: Hamas still holds two million hostages
The head of Realign for Palestine speaks about the newly anointed head of Hamas, Khalil al-Hayya, and its restrengthened ties with Iran and Hezbollah
By Amanda Borschel-Dan and Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib
File: Iran's then-supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right, greets Khalil al-Hayya, then a member of Hamas leadership council, during their meeting in Tehran, Feb. 8, 2025. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)
July 20, 2026, 5:09 pm
Hamas elects Khalil al-Hayya as its new leader; Israel tried to kill him last year
Gaza-born, Doha-based al-Hayya, who is close to the regime in Iran, has served as group’s top negotiator during war, defeats ex-leader Khaled Mashaal for top spot
By Nurit Yohanan and AFP
Senior Hamas members Khaled Mashaal (L), Musa Abu Marzouk (C), and Khalil Al-Hayya attending a meeting between Iran's Foreign Minister and Hamas' political bureau chief, October 31, 2023, Doha, Qatar. (Credit Image: © Iranian Foreign Ministry via ZUMA Press Wire)
May 31, 2026, 11:49 pm
EU sanctions Hamas politburo members along with four settler groups
Bloc names Khaled Mashaal, nine other officials in terror group for ‘promoting, defending’ ‘violence’; move comes day after confirmed sanctions on settler groups
By Nava Freiberg
Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya gives a televised speech about the hostage-ceasefire deal between the Palestinian terror group and Israel, in the Qatari capital of Doha on January 15, 2025. (YouTube screenshot used in accordance with article 27a of the Copyright Law)
May 7, 2026, 6:01 pm
Son of Hamas’s chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya said killed in IDF strike on Gaza City
Terror group accuses Israel of killing 3 police officers after strikes kill Azzam al-Hayya and a senior cop; IDF says terrorist who abducted Mia Schem on Oct. 7 killed in recent strike
By Nurit Yohanan, Emanuel Fabian, Agencies and ToI Staff
Armed members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad greet people gathering for Eid al-Fitr prayers in Gaza City, March 20, 2026. (AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)
April 27, 2026, 4:25 pm
As Hamas prepares to choose 1st leader since Sinwar, postwar Gaza’s fate hangs in the balance
Two leading contenders would pull terror group in different directions: prioritizing fighting to keep a grip on the Strip or conceding the battlefield in exchange for survival
By Nurit Yohanan
Top Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya delivers a speech marking the 38th anniversary of the terror group's establishment, December 14, 2025. (Screen capture: X/Al Jazeera)
April 16, 2026, 3:19 pm
US, Hamas reportedly hold direct talks, as Board of Peace disarmament plan stalls
Senior Trump official Lightstone meets with Hayya, as Hamas bucks ceasefire’s 2nd phase requirement that it give up weapons, arguing that Israel violating truce’s first phase
By ToI Staff, Jacob Magid and Emanuel Fabian
A composite image of five members of Hamas's leadership targeted by Israel in Qatar on September 9, 2025, L-R: Zaher Jabarin, Khaled Mashaal, Khalil al-Hayya, Muhammad Ismail Darwish, Nizar Awadallah. (Mahmud Hams/Louai Beshara/KHAMENEI.IR/AFP)
January 13, 2026, 5:43 am
Hamas seeks to rebuild shattered leadership as it faces postwar uncertainty
Vote for political bureau set to take place early this year, with Khalil al-Hayya and Khaled Mashaal seen as top contenders to lead terror group under pressure to disarm
By AFP and ToI Staff
Hamas's Khalil al-Hayya during an interview in Istanbul, April 24, 2024. (AP/ Khalil Hamra, File)
December 28, 2025, 5:46 am
Hamas said set to soon elect new leader, with pro-Iran candidate Hayya likely to win
Report says second candidate is terror group’s former head Mashaal, who is said to favor diplomacy on Gaza whereas frontrunner backs ‘armed conflict’
By Noam Lehmann
US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, right, and White House adviser Jared Kushner arrive before US President Donald Trump holds a news conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the State Dining Room of the White House, September 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
December 20, 2025, 11:43 pm
Gaza mediators urge sides to keep truce, after Miami meeting sees little headway on Trump plan
Source says officials from US, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey discussed ways to push Israel, Hamas toward compromise on phase 2, which includes Board of Peace, International Stabilization Force
By Jacob Magid and Agencies
Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a car in Gaza City that killed top Hamas official Raed Saad, December 13, 2025. (Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
December 14, 2025, 2:44 pm
Hamas rejects disarmament, confirms senior commander Saad killed in Israeli strike
In speech, top official Khalil al-Hayya also says international force shouldn’t take over Gaza; Hamas accuses ‘agents of the occupation’ of assassinating internal security officer
By Noam Lehmann
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