In 1991 or 1992,[2] Hamza Abu al-Haija was born the youngest son of Asmaa and sheikh Jamal Abu al-Haija. By June 2003, both of al-Haija's parents and three brothers were in Israeli jail.[1]
As an adult, al-Haija was a commander in the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, wanted by Israeli authorities for "shooting and bombing attacks as well as planning future attacks".[2] On 18 December, al-Haija escaped an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) raid on his home in the Jenin, West Bank refugee camp, though his friend Nafaa Saidi was killed by soldiers. It was around 3:00 A.M. on 22 March 2014 (UTC+02:00) when the IDF caught up with him in-camp, and after the Hamas leader exhausted his ammunition,[1] the 22-year-old was killed by the IDF.[2]