Khaled Mashal (born May 28, 1956, in Silwad, West Bank) is a prominent Palestinian politician and senior Hamas leader. He co-founded Hamas in 1987 during the First Intifada after joining the Muslim Brotherhood as a student in Kuwait, where his family relocated after the 1967 Six-Day War. He served as chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau from 1996 to 2017, succeeding Mousa Abu Marzook, and was succeeded by Ismail Haniyeh. During his tenure, he played a crucial role in the group's international relations, fundraising, political strategy, and resistance activities, often operating from exile due to Israeli targeting of Hamas leadership. In 1997, he survived a notorious Israeli assassination attempt in Amman, Jordan, involving poison injection, which elevated his profile and led to his expulsion from Jordan in 1999. He later relocated to Syria and then to Doha, Qatar in 2012, where he has resided. Mashal briefly served as acting leader of Hamas in July-August 2024 following Ismail Haniyeh's assassination, and again since October 2024 after Yahya Sinwar's death, underscoring his enduring influence. He is designated a terrorist by Israel, the United States, and the European Union, and his leadership has been marked by involvement in ceasefire negotiations, diplomatic outreach, and advocacy for armed resistance against Israeli occupation, alongside controversies over Hamas's military operations and financial networks.