Saudi-owned Al Arabiya reported Tuesday that a targeted airstrike in Qatar killed senior Hamas figures Khalil al-Hayya, Zaher Jabarin, and Nizar Awadallah. Former Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Mashaal was not present at the meeting. Other senior officials in attendance included Mohammed Darwish, Mousa Abu Marzouk, and Husam Badran.
The strike, directed by the Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet security agency and carried out by the Israeli Air Force, hit the Hamas leadership headquarters in Doha. The operation was code-named "Summit of Fire."
A diplomatic source told Israel Hayom the Hamas leadership had gathered to discuss Washington's latest proposal after rejecting an earlier one, as well as the implications of Israel's expected ground entry into Gaza City. Those present included Mashaal, al-Hayya, Jabarin - who also serves as Hamas' liaison to Iran - Badran, Darwish, Abu Marzouk, and Taher al-Nunu.
The targeted Hamas leaders
Mohammed Ismail Darwish, a senior Hamas official born in Lebanon, is known as the architect of the organization's financial empire. During the war he was appointed chairman of the Shura Council, one of Hamas' most important decision-making bodies. After the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, he was mentioned as a potential head of the political bureau, but Yahya Sinwar was chosen instead. After Sinwar was also killed by Israeli forces, Darwish became head of the leadership council, a five-member body designed to replace the role of a single leader. He has also been central to Hamas' delegation in ceasefire and hostage talks.
Khaled Mashaal, 69, a former political bureau chief, represents Hamas' diaspora branches. For years he was at odds with Iran over his past support for Islamist rebels during the Syrian civil war. He coordinates Hamas activities across countries and lives in Qatar, where he amassed great wealth. Mashaal previously survived an Israeli assassination attempt after Jordan's king intervened. He has attempted to stir unrest on the Jordanian border and undermine Israel's relations with Morocco.
Khalil al-Hayya, 65, was Sinwar's deputy and left Gaza before the October 7 massacre. Since then, he has been a key negotiator for Hamas in ceasefire and hostage talks. He has insisted on American guarantees and rejected demands to disarm Hamas or exile its leadership from Gaza. Al-Hayya, who resides mostly in Qatar and Lebanon, was imprisoned in Israel for three years in the early 1990s. In 1983 he earned a bachelor's degree from the Islamic University of Gaza, where he also taught. He is married with seven children. Several relatives, including two of his brothers, were killed in 2007.
Nizar Awadallah, 68, a senior Hamas leader and political bureau member, left Gaza before the war and has since been based mostly in Qatar. He plays a key role in negotiations. Years before the war, he ran against Sinwar for head of the political bureau, narrowly losing in the second round. Following the assassinations of two political bureau chiefs, Awadallah became one of five leadership council members.
Zaher Jabarin, 55, rose to the top of Hamas after being released from life imprisonment in the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange. He had served 18 years in Israel for involvement in terrorist attacks. In the early 1990s he recruited Yahya Ayyash, the notorious Hamas bombmaker, and helped establish Hamas' West Bank branch. After his release he was deported to Syria and later moved to Turkey, where he worked under Saleh al-Arouri before becoming his deputy. Jabarin is considered Hamas' finance chief and maintains ties with Iran. He has overseen terrorist operations in the West Bank from abroad. After al-Arouri was killed in January, Jabarin was appointed to replace him and has since been involved in hostage deal talks.
Mousa Abu Marzouk, a well-known political bureau member based in Qatar, previously headed the bureau and is currently Mashaal's deputy. He oversees Hamas' ties with Russia and during the war led delegations to Moscow to discuss hostages with Russian officials.
In the 1990s Abu Marzouk built Hamas' financial network. He moved to Springfield, Virginia, in 1991 and lived in the US for at least 14 years, holding a green card. He is married with six children.
