Meet Mosab Hassan Yousef’s Parents: Hassan Yousef and Sabba Abu Salem

Mosab Hassan Yousef, widely known as “The Green Prince,” has a life story that unfolds like a real-world thriller, filled with espionage, ideological shifts, and a turbulent family legacy.

Born on May 5, 1978, in Ramallah, West Bank, he grew up in a household deeply rooted in religion and politics.

Of Palestinian ethnicity, Mosab was raised in the Muslim faith, immersed in the strong ideological environment of his community and family. However, in a dramatic turn, he converted to Christianity in 1999, marking one of the most defining changes in his life.

He is the eldest son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a co-founder of Hamas, and his mother, Sabba Abu Salem. Growing up, Mosab’s childhood was shaped by his father’s frequent imprisonments and his family’s central role in the Palestinian resistance.

He has eight siblings—five brothers and three sisters—including his younger brother Suheib Yousef, who also broke ties with Hamas in 2019.

Educational details remain limited, though Mosab attended a UNRWA high school in Ramallah, where he was exposed to the prevailing political ideologies of the region. His transformation from being the son of a Hamas leader to working as an informant for Israel and later becoming an advocate for peace has made his story both controversial and inspiring.

Sheikh Hassan Yousef

Born in 1955 in Ramallah, West Bank, Sheikh Hassan Yousef is a prominent figure in the Palestinian militant landscape, recognized as a co-founder of Hamas, an Islamist organization designated as a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union.

As a spiritual and political leader within Hamas, Hassan has been described as a member of its extremist faction, steadfastly opposing any reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians.

His role as an imam and community leader gave him significant influence, not only within Hamas but also among Palestinians in the West Bank, where he served as a de facto authority in the absence of local governance.

Hassan’s life has been marked by repeated arrests by Israeli authorities, beginning in 1993. He became a visible leader during the Second Intifada and has spent over 23 years in Israeli prisons, often under administrative detention without formal charges.

Despite his incarceration, he was nominated to represent Hamas in elections in 2005, a role he initially resisted, believing Hamas could not transition into a political party. His dedication to Hamas’s cause shaped the environment in which his children, including Mosab, were raised, immersing them in the ideology of Palestinian resistance.

Sabba Abu Salem

Sabba Abu Salem, Hassan Yousef’s wife, is a less publicly documented figure but played a critical role in maintaining the family’s stability amidst her husband’s frequent imprisonments and the turbulent political climate of the West Bank.

Married to Hassan, Sabba is the mother of their nine children, including six sons and three daughters. As the wife of a Hamas leader, Sabba faced immense challenges, particularly during periods when Hassan was incarcerated.

She shouldered the responsibility of raising their children and supporting the family under the strain of Israeli occupation and the scrutiny that came with her husband’s prominence.

Her role as a mother was pivotal in Mosab’s early life. Growing up in Ramallah, Mosab was deeply influenced by the family’s commitment to the Palestinian cause, with Sabba managing the household in a community where Hamas’s ideology was pervasive.