Senior Hamas Delegation Arrives in Iran Ahead of Int’l Quds Day
Headed by Khalil al-Hayya, it also includes Hamas officials Osama Hamdan and Khaled Qodumi.
They will attend a rally slated to be held in Tehran on Friday to mark the International Quds Day.
Khalil al-Hayya is scheduled to address the rally.
The delegation will also held meetings with a number of Iranian officials, according to the Palestinian Information Center.
Born in 1960, Khalil al-Hayya is a senior member of Hamas’ political bureau, head of the Arabic and Islamic Relations Office and deputy head of Hamas's regional politburo in Gaza.
He was a teacher of the Islamic University of Gaza from 1984 to 2005.
He was elected a member of the Palestinian parliament in 2006 and became the head of Hamas caucus in the parliament.
Al-Hayya spent three years in an Israeli regime jail. Seven members of his family were martyrdom in an Israeli regime bombing of his home in 2007.
His son Hamza, who was a member of the Qassam Brigades, was also martyred in 2008.
The International Quds Day is a legacy of the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, who designated the day in solidarity with Palestinians.
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, the International Quds Day has been held worldwide on the last Friday of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
This year, the International Quds Day falls on Friday, April 29.
