Who was Ismail Haniyeh? What we know about the Hamas leader killed in an attack in Iran
The conflict between Israel and Hamas has been going on for over a year without respite, and on Wednesday, July 31, a new and significant episode was added with the death of Ismail Haniyeh, supreme leader of Hamas. The leader died in an attack in Tehran, of which no further details have been confirmed, which has further intensified the already tense relations between Israel, Iran, and the non-state actors involved in the region.
The conflict, which has caused thousands of victims and displaced people, is now at a critical point following the death of one of the main leaders of the Palestinian Islamist movement, making a possible truce more remote. Haniyeh, who lived in voluntary exile between Qatar and Turkey in recent years, kept a lower profile compared to his more active times. He was in the Iranian capital to attend the inauguration of the newly elected president, Masud Pezeshkian, at the time of the attack.
Despite his exile, Haniyeh remained a key figure in the organization and regional politics. His death, confirmed by Hamas itself, could have a significant impact on the group’s internal structure as well as its alliances with other regional actors, especially Iran, which has been one of Hamas’s main sponsors.
Haniyeh’s legacy
Ismail Haniyeh was born on January 29, 1963, in the Al-Shati refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. His childhood was marked by adversity, which influenced his political views and eventually led to his joining Hamas. Coming from a family of Palestinian refugees from Askalan who fled during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, his life was always linked to the struggle for the Palestinian cause.
With a background in Arabic literature from the Islamic University of Gaza, Haniyeh became involved in politics early on, notable for his organizational skills and charisma. He joined Hamas during the late 1980s First Intifada, for which he spent a few months in prison.
His rise through the ranks of Hamas was rapid, and in 2006, following the group’s election victory, he became prime minister of the Gaza Strip. As CNN reports, he was appointed part of a secret “collective leadership” in 2004, following the deaths of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz Rantisi, Hamas’s two previous leaders.
During his tenure, Haniyeh experienced and led some of the most violent clashes between Israel and Hamas, which increased the international isolation of the organization. He also traveled to different countries around the world on behalf of Hamas and met with several high-profile figures.
Haniyeh is known to own several properties in both Gaza and Qatar.
His private life
Not much is known about Haniyeh’s personal life, although he is credited with having 13 children. In 2010, he purchased a plot of land in a beachfront neighborhood, registering it in the name of his son-in-law and subsequently buying more property in the names of his sons. Haniyeh, reportedly a millionaire from the 20% tax levied on goods entering Gaza through tunnels from Egypt, has sisters who live in Israel as Israeli citizens and whose sons have served in the Israel Defense Forces.
Haniyeh’s death was not the only blow to his family in recent months. As reported by the Times of Israel, in October 2023, fourteen members of Haniyeh’s family were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. Al-Jazeera reported on another recent airstrike in April 2024, in which three of his children and four of his grandchildren were killed.
An exiled leader
In recent years, Haniyeh has emerged as a crucial link between Hamas and Iran. He secured the financial and military support necessary for Hamas to continue its fight against Israel. His death in the Iranian capital, far from his home in Gaza, represents a dramatic closure for one of the most influential leaders in the recent history of the Palestinian Islamist movement, leaving a power vacuum that could have long-term repercussions within Hamas.
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