Mashaal, Khaled

(1956- )

   Born in 1956 in the Silwad neighborhood of Ramallah in the West Bank, the senior political leader of Hamas is believed by Israel to be "responsible for the murder of innocent civilians." Two Mossad agents bungled an attempted assassination of Mashaal on 25 September 1997 in Amman, Jordan. Since the death of Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Ismail Yassin in 2004, Mashaal's influence over Hamas has grown and he was appointed the world leader of Hamas. He is based in Damascus, Syria. He has fostered a warmer relationship for Hamas with Iran that includes the unprecedented transfer of Iranian arms and funds to Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip smuggled through tunnels from the Sinai Desert.

   See also Mashaal affair.