Mashal, who previously held the position of head of the Political Bureau for 21 years, was targeted by the Mossad in Jordan in 1996, an attempt that led to a diplomatic crisis and the release of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. On October 7, known as Black Saturday, Mashal was seen celebrating with Ismail Haniyeh in Istanbul, marking the attacks and offering a prayer of thanks.
Reuters reports that Mashal is expected to assume the role of leading the Political Bureau following Haniyeh's death. However, it’s important to note that Mashal has been out of favour with Iran since the Syrian Civil War, where he supported Islamist rebels against Assad, a close ally of Tehran.
Born in 1956 in Silwad near Ramallah, Mashal’s family later emigrated to Kuwait. He studied physics and helped establish the Islamic Association at his university, competing with Fatah lists for leadership in the Palestinian student union in Kuwait. After graduating in 1978, he became a teacher and married, having seven children. Seven years before completing his studies, he joined the Muslim Brotherhood and played a significant role in its Palestinian branch. In 1987, he joined Hamas, becoming a member of the Political Bureau and deputy head.
The Political Bureau, founded by Palestinian exiles like Mashal and Mousa Abu Marzouk, focused on securing funding and maintaining international relations for Hamas. Its role evolved with changes in Gaza's leadership, many of whom were assassinated.
During the early 1990s Gulf War, PLO leader Yasser Arafat supported Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait, leading to a massive expulsion of Palestinians. Mashal moved to Jordan, where he operated through the 1990s and was first elected head of the Political Bureau following the arrest of Abu Marzouk in the U.S.
In 1996, an assassination attempt was made on Mashal in Jordan after a deadly attack in the Mahane Yehuda market. Two Mossad agents injected poison into him in Amman but were arrested, leading to a diplomatic crisis. Israel agreed to provide an antidote and release Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in exchange for the Mossad agents. Mashal was expelled from Jordan two years later under U.S. pressure and moved to Syria until the civil war erupted. He then relocated to Qatar and had a falling out with Assad’s regime due to his support for Islamist rebels in Syria.
In 2012, Mashal visited the Gaza Strip for the first time. In 2017, new elections for the Political Bureau were held, with Haniyeh winning and Mashal not running for office, instead declining other roles. He remained a member of the Shura Council and was largely absent from the public eye for four years. He was later appointed head of Hamas abroad, overseeing the organization’s diaspora.
On October 7, during the attack, Mashal was seen with Haniyeh in Istanbul celebrating the massacres and holding a prayer of thanks. Since then, Mashal has been active in Arab media, attempting to incite crowds in countries like Jordan to riot at Israel’s borders. He even gave a remote speech at an Islamist conference in Morocco, urging the kingdom to sever its ties with Israel.