Ismail Haniyeh: A refugee who fought like a knight and died a hero
I pay my tribute to the veteran leader, who lived like refugee, fought like a knight and achieved martyrdom like a brave solider. Not only Ismail Haniyeh alone, but his entire family members are inspiration to us.
Ismail Haniyeh, a name that’s all over the internet now.
Ismail Haniyeh was not only the leader of Hamas but also the Prime Minister of Palestine. Haniyeh had seen struggle the moment he took birth. He was born in a refugee camp, the al-Shati refugee camp in the then Egyptian-controlled Gaza Strip in 1962 to parents who were expelled from Ashkelon during the 1948 Palestine war known as first Nakaba.
Haniyeh gained a bachelor’s degree in Arabic literature in 1987 from the Islamic University of Gaza, where he first became involved with Hamas after it was formed during the first Intifada against the Israeli occupation, leading to his imprisonment for three short periods after having participated in protests.
After his release in 1992, Haniyeh was exiled to Lebanon, with senior Hamas leaders Abdel-Aziz al-Rantissi, Mahmoud Zahhar, Aziz Duwaik, and 400 other activists. The activists stayed at Marj al-Zahour in southern Lebanon for over a year, where, according to BBC News, Hamas “received unprecedented media exposure and became known throughout the world”. A year later, he returned to Gaza and was appointed Dean of the Islamic University.
In 1997, Haniyeh was appointed to head a Hamas office and subsequently rose in the ranks of the organization. Haniyeh led Hamas to victory in the Palestinian legislative elections of 2006, campaigning on armed resistance against the Israeli occupation, and so became Prime Minister of the State of Palestine. However, Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian President, dismissed Haniyeh from office on 14 June 2007.
But, due to the then-ongoing Fatah–Hamas conflict, Haniyeh did not acknowledge Abbas’ decree and continued to exercise prime ministerial authority in the Gaza Strip. Haniyeh was the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip from 2006 until February 2017, when he was replaced by Yahya Sinwar. Haniyeh was seen as relatively one of the more pragmatic and moderate figures in Hamas.
Not only Ismail Haniyeh himself but his whole family has gone through a very difficult time for the stand that Haniyeh had taken. In October 2023, fourteen members of his family were killed in an Israeli airstrike on his family home in Gaza City, among them his brother and nephew. In November 2023, a granddaughter of his was reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City.
Later that month his eldest grandson was also killed in an Israeli strike. Then on April 10, 2024 which coincided with Eid al Fitr, three of his sons and three grandchildren were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip. On 25 June 2024, ten members of his family, including his 80-year-old sister, were killed in an Israeli airstrike in al-Shati refugee camp.
Ismail Haniyeh’s death has sparked anger against Iran. Some people doubt that Iran has a role to play in the assassination of Haniyeh. Well, whether Iran to be blamed for it or not is a thing that needs to be debated but what needs to be seen is that how actively Israel is tracking people of Hamas and whosoever is against it.
But here is a doubt that we should talk about.
Israel wasn’t able to kill him in Lebanon, in Qatar, in Turkey and also while he was the Prime Minister of Palestine. But as he landed in Iran to attend the swearing in ceremony he got martyred. Someone has to answer this, especially Iran, where he got killed.
The Martyrdom of Haniyeh has once again made Israel face criticism. People around the world accuse Israel of further escalating the situation rather than finding out way to end the genocide. United Nations held a meeting regarding the assassination of Hamas Chief. The world must remember Israel doesn’t want to end this war. They want to nuke Palestine to make their dream of “Greater Israel" come true. Whenever we talk about the present Palestine genocide, we must never forget the actual intension of Israel.
Haniyeh was an outstanding leader. Even after being the Prime Minister he had to live in Qatar. He taught people what a real leader looks like and how actually oriented politics is done.
I pay my tribute to the veteran leader, who lived like refugee, fought like a knight and achieved martyrdom like a brave solider. Not only Ismail Haniyeh alone, but his entire family members are inspiration to us.
Ismail Haniyeh has been laid to rest in Doha, Qatar with full state honours. Rest in Peace Commander.
[The writer, Raqif Makhdoomi, is a Law Student and Human Rights defender.]
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