Jamal Abu al-Hayjaa

Jamal Abu al-Hayjaa, born in Jenin in 1959, is a senior Hamas member. He is running in the May 2021 legislative elections on the ‘Jerusalem is our Promise’ list.

After studying in Amman, he returned to Jenin in 1990. Soon after, he became involved in anti-Israeli activity and was arrested for the first time by Israel in 1992. Since then, he has spent over 16 years in Israeli prisons, on charges including commanding the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (IQB).

He was involved in the 2002 Battle of Jenin, where he led the Palestinian defence of the camp against Israel. During the fighting he was hit by an explosion which led to the amputation of his hand. Israel has reportedly carried out several assassination attempts against him.