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Ismail Haniyeh, born on January 29, 1962, is the leader of Hamas who ordered the attack on Israel over the weekend. He is currently living in Qatar and reportedly watched the aggressions from the comfort of his office.
His name, also spelled Isml Haniyyah and Ismail Haniya, has been synonymous with the resistance movement in Palestine for about two decades. He took over the Gaza portion of the Palestinian Territories in 2007.
Israel's retaliation on Palestine over Hamas' attack marks the fifth conflict in less than a decade between the two governements. The war tensions in that area have been brewing, exploding and deescalating ever since 1948 in an endless, vicious cycle.
Haniyeh, 61, grew up in a refugee camp in Gaza and his early life was affected by the Israel-Palestine conflict, as many are experiencing today.
His political inclinations were formed during university when he aligned himself with the Islamist movement, which was gaining momentum in the region at the time.
The creation of Hamas
Hamas, an acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya (the Islamic Resistance Movement), was founded in 1987 in the midst of a Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation.
Haniyeh joined the ranks of Hamas and quickly rose through its leadership until winning the Palestinian legislative elections in 2006.
Repeated attempts at reconciliation with Israel have failed under Haniyeh's tenure as Prime Minister.
New political dynamics in the Middle East and the rise of military groups such as ISIS have made Gaza an even more sought-after region. It is one of the most densely-populated areas in the world and half of its 2.5 million residents are children.
Ismail Haniyeh celebrates Hamas' attack on Israel
A video shows Haniyeh smiling while watching the attack on Israel from his office in Doha and announced a new era in the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Mohammed Deif, the current head of Hamas inside Gaza, must have been in contact with Haniyeh, who was also seen praying.
Haniyeh's bold decision to carry out the largest attack on Israel in modern history might be due to his ties with Iran and Qatar.
His alliance with Egypt ended when he joined forces with Iran to continue attempting to keep Gaza under Palestinian control.