GAZA
Khaled Mashal entered Gaza from Egypt at the Rafah border crossing under tight security measures.
As soon as he entered Gaza, Mashal groveled and kissed the ground.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh welcomed Mashal who had not been allowed to enter Gaza via Egypt during the term of ousted Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak.
Mashal will attend the celebrations for the 25th anniversary of Hamas' foundation on Saturday.
Born in Ramallah in 1956, Mashal and his family migrated to Kuwait in 1967 after Israel occupied West Bank. Mashal left Kuwait in 1991 and moved in Jordan. He survived a Mossad assassination in 1997. He later stayed in Syria and Qatar.
Hamas was created in 1987 after the beginning of the first intifada - or Palestinian uprising - against Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.
