Mahmoud Mardawi

One of the senior members of the Hamas movement, he often serves as a representative of the organization in the media and on the international stage. He was born in 1968 in the village of Hableh, near Qalqilya. He joined the Hamas movement and was arrested by Israel on August 28, 1992. The main charges for which he was convicted include: causing death intentionally; membership in a illegal organization; participation in military training; and carrying or possessing explosive devices. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was released from prison in 2011 as part of the Shalit deal and deported to the Gaza Strip. He later moved to live in Qatar and became part of the organization’s top leadership there.