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Hamas's Chief Negotiator Is a Terrorist, Not a Peacemaker

(The Dispatch) Jonathan Schanzer and Ahmad al-Sharawi - The leading figure among a gaggle of Hamas leaders outside of Gaza who participate in ceasefire negotiations is Khalil al-Hayya, who was reportedly appointed as Hamas's leader in Gaza following the elimination of Yahya Sinwar by Israel in October. Al-Hayya splits his time between Qatar and Turkey. Al-Hayya participated in the hostage negotiations after Hamas kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006. He proclaimed that the Shalit deal proved that kidnapping works, and he promised more abductions. The New York Times reported in October 2024 that Al-Hayya was a key planner of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, during which Hamas seized 251 Israeli hostages and took them to Gaza. Al-Hayya led meetings with Iran's Revolutionary Guards in Lebanon to convince both the Iranians and Hizbullah to join Hamas in their attacks against Israel. So Israel and the U.S. find themselves negotiating the return of hostages with one of the men responsible for their capture. The U.S. should designate al-Hayya as a terrorist and bar him from any further negotiations. Al-Hayya has not played a productive role. He has spurned multiple deals that have been put on the table to end the war. Instead, he has doubled down on his group's positions, saying the Oct. 7 attack was "a military accomplishment" and a "source of pride for our people." He has also attacked the governments of Egypt and Jordan, urging their people to "escalate popular resistance." Jonathan Schanzer is senior vice president for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where Ahmad al-Sharawi is a research analyst.
2025-09-09 00:00:00
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