Born in 1962. Grew up in the Gaza city of Khan Yunis, where his parents fled from Ashkelon in present-day Israel when the Jewish state was established in 1948.
Arrested by Israel for the first time when he was only 19 years old. Started later in the 1980s the Hamas security group al-Majd, which would hunt down “traitors” of various kinds. Afterwards boasted that he killed many of them himself, and was later sentenced by Israel to several life sentences for murder.
Released after 23 years in the Great Exchange of 2011, when Israel returned abducted soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Elected in an internal Hamas vote in 2017 as the supreme leader of the Gaza Strip. Suspected then, together with military chief Mohammad Dayf, of having planned the major terrorist attack on October 7, 2023.
Sources: Haaretz, BBC