Who is Khalil Al-Hayya, the Hamas leader who met Kushner in Cairo

Khalil Al-Hayya, the Hamas chief who met with US envoy Jared Kushner in Cairo, has emerged as a pivotal figure within the Palestinian militant group. Hayya, named Hamas' overall leader in July, narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in Qatar in 2025 that killed his son and aides.

This Cairo meeting signifies a departure from Washington's long-standing policy of shunning Hamas, which the US designates as a terrorist organization. It was Hayya's second meeting with Kushner; in October 2025, he led a Hamas delegation that negotiated a ceasefire and the release of hostages seized during the Hamas-led attacks on Israel in 2023.

Hayya served on a five-member council that led Hamas after Israel killed Yahya Al-Sinwar, a mastermind of the October 7, 2023 attacks. Under Hayya's leadership, Hamas agreed in July to a Trump-backed plan involving laying down weapons, contingent on Israel's withdrawal from Gaza. Hamas, however, frames this as handing over weapons for storage by a US-backed Palestinian government, a plan Israel has rejected, insisting on full disarmament before withdrawal.

A veteran of the movement since its emergence from the Muslim Brotherhood in 1987, Hayya holds a PhD in Islamic Studies. He rose through the ranks alongside figures like Al-Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh. Hayya has survived multiple assassination attempts, including an Israeli airstrike on his family home in 2007 and the killing of several relatives, including sons, in separate attacks.