Khaled Mashal
Khaled Mashal (Arabic: خالد مشعل, romanized: Khālid Mashʿal, Levantine Arabic pronunciation: [ˈχæːled ˈmeʃʕæl]; born 28 May 1956) is a Palestinian political leader who is the former head of the militant organization Hamas.
Khaled Mashal خالد مشعل | |
|---|---|
Mashal in 2009 | |
| Chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau | |
| In office 1996 – 6 May 2017 | |
| Deputy | Mousa Mohammed Abu Marzook Ismail Haniyeh |
| Preceded by | Mousa Mohammed Abu Marzook |
| Succeeded by | Ismail Haniyeh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 May 1956 Silwad, Jordanian West Bank |
| Nationality | Palestinian |
| Political party | Hamas |
| Residence(s) | Silwad, West Bank (1956–1967) Damascus, Syria (2001–2012) Doha, Qatar (since 2012) |
| Alma mater | Kuwait University |
After the founding of Hamas in 1987, Mashal became the leader of the Kuwaiti branch of the organization. In 1992, he became a founding member of Hamas' politburo and its chairman. He became the recognized head of Hamas after Israel assassinated both Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and his successor Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi in the spring of 2004. Under his leadership, Hamas stunned the world by winning a majority of the seats in the Palestinian legislative election in 2006. Mashal stepped down as Hamas' politburo chairman at the end of his term limit in 2017.
The Six-Day War in 1967 forced Mashal's family to flee the West Bank and he has since then lived in other parts of the Arab world in exile. For that reason, he was considered part of Hamas' "external leadership".