BELOW are some facts about Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, chosen by the group for premiership. Mr Haniyeh, 43, is widely viewed by Palestinians as a pragmatist who has good relations with rival factions and someone with whom Israel could ultimately do business.

He led the ‘Change and Reform’ list of Hamas candidates for the parliamentary election last month.

Mr Haniyeh lives in Beach Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip and like all Hamas lawmakers, is banned by Israel from travelling to the West Bank. He has 13 children.

He survived an Israeli air strike in 2003 targeting Hamas’s leadership at the height of a Palestinian uprising it has spearheaded with suicide bombings.—Reuters