Khalil Al-Hayya, the Hamas chief who met Kushner

Khalil Al-Hayya, the newly appointed leader of Hamas, met United States envoy Jared Kushner in Cairo on Sunday. This marked the second time Al-Hayya had met with Kushner, the first being in October last year, during negotiations that resulted in a ceasefire and the release of remaining hostages seized in the Hamas-led attacks on Israel in 2023.

Al-Hayya had previously narrowly escaped assassination in an Israeli air strike in Qatar last year, which killed his son and several aides. Born in 1960, Al-Hayya joined the Muslim Brotherhood movement and later became a pivotal figure in Hamas during the Gaza war, succeeding Yahya Al-Sinwar after the latter was killed by Israel in 2024.

The meeting with Kushner marked a shift in Washington's policy towards Hamas, which the US has long designated as a terrorist group. Al-Hayya served as part of a five-member council that ran Hamas from 2024 following the killing of Israel's mastermind behind the Oct 7, 2023 attacks.

Despite Israel's rejection of a plan to disarm Hamas in exchange for a withdrawal from Gaza, Al-Hayya has expressed a desire for stability and a Palestinian entity in line with international law. He also emphasized the importance of peace for regional stability, stating that without it, the region would remain unstable.