Khalil al-Hayya, born November 5, 1960, in Gaza, is a senior Palestinian politician and Hamas leader.[1][2][5] A veteran member since Hamas's founding in 1987, he joined the Muslim Brotherhood in the early 1980s alongside figures like Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar.[2][4] He holds a PhD in Sunnah and Hadith Sciences from Sudan (1997), a master's from Jordan (1989), and a bachelor's from the Islamic University of Gaza (1983).[5] Al-Hayya has served in academic roles, including lecturer and dean of student affairs at the Islamic University, and led student and workers' unions there.[5] Elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council in 2006 representing Gaza City with over 73,000 votes, he has been a member of Hamas's Politburo and deputy head of its Gaza regional politburo since 2017.[1][3][5] He headed Hamas's "Jerusalem Is Our Promise" list for the canceled 2021 elections.[3] Al-Hayya played a pivotal role in ceasefires, notably brokering the 2014 Gaza truce and mediating recent talks amid the ongoing conflict.[2][3][4] From Qatar, where he relocated years ago to handle ties with Arab and Islamic states—including Iran and a 2022 Syria reconciliation—he advanced to deputy chairman of Hamas's Political Bureau (August-October 2024), then part of a five-member acting leadership after Yahya Sinwar's October 2024 death.[1][2][4] In December 2024, he was appointed commander of Hamas's Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades following Mohammed Deif's killing.[6] Recently, he led a delegation to Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh for ceasefire, withdrawal, and prisoner swap talks—the first since surviving a September 9, 2025, Israeli airstrike in Qatar that killed his son Humam.[1][2] Al-Hayya has endured multiple assassination attempts, losing 19 family members, including his wife, three children, and others in strikes since 2007.[3][4][5] He remains a key Hamas negotiator with current relevance in Gaza diplomacy.[2][4]