Life of defiance: Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas political boss, martyred

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#1 [Permalink] Posted on 31st July 2024 11:12

Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh has been assassinated in Tehran at the age of 62 in what the Palestinian group has described as “a treacherous Zionist raid on his residence”.

Haniyeh, who briefly served as prime minister of the Palestinian Authority’s government in 2006, was killed early on Wednesday along with a bodyguard when the house he was staying in was targeted, nearly 10 months into Israel’s war on Gaza. Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, on Tuesday.

The Hamas leader had emerged as a major force in the Palestinian liberation movement and, like his colleagues and generations of Palestinian politicians and activists, had long been in Israel’s crosshairs. While Israel has not formally claimed responsibility for the assassination, an Israeli minister celebrated Haniyeh’s death in a post on X.

Haniyeh was born in the Shati refugee camp on the coast of Gaza City to parents displaced from their town of Asqalan (now known as Ashkelon) when Israel was formed in 1948.

As a young man, Haniyeh was a student activist at the Islamic University in Gaza City, where he studied Arabic literature. While at university in 1983, he joined the Islamic Student Bloc, an organisation widely seen as the forerunner of Hamas.

As a Palestinian uprising broke out in December 1987 against the Israeli occupation, known as the first Intifada, Haniyeh was among the youth taking part in protests. That was also the year that Hamas was founded — with Haniyeh among its younger members.

Israel imprisoned Haniyeh at least three times. After serving his longest sentence, a three-year stint, he was deported to Lebanon in 1992 along with hundreds of other members of Hamas, including senior Hamas leaders Abdel-Aziz al-Rantissi and Mahmoud Zahhar, and members of other Palestinian resistance groups.

But Haniyeh returned to Gaza a year later after the signing of the first Oslo Accord and became a close confidant of Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, Hamas’s spiritual leader and founder. After Israel released Yassin from prison in 1997, Haniyeh was appointed as his assistant.

That high profile meant that Haniyeh became a target for assassination. Israel had by then established a long pattern of killing Palestinian leaders over the years.

Together, Haniyeh and Yassin survived an Israeli assassination attempt in September 2003 by narrowly escaping a building in Gaza City seconds before it was hit with an Israeli air strike.

However, months later, Yassin was killed by Israeli forces as he left a mosque after dawn prayers. The following month, al-Rantisi was assassinated in an Israeli helicopter missile strike on Gaza City.

“After 2003, Haniyeh gained a lot of popularity among Hamas people simply because of his stance, position and media appearances,” Hassan Barrari, analyst and professor at Qatar University, told Al Jazeera. “He remained a prominent figure until his assassination.”

Haniyeh’s stature within the Palestinian movement grew further in 2006 when Hamas ran in the Palestine legislative elections for the first time since its establishment. In a shock result, the group won the most votes, delivering a blow to Fatah and making Haniyeh the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority (PA).

The outcome caught the United States, which had called for the elections, unprepared.

Then-New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said in leaked recordings after the elections: “I do not think we should have pushed for an election in the Palestinian territories. I think that was a big mistake. And if we were going to push for an election, then we should have made sure that we did something to determine who was going to win.”

Unhappy over Hamas’s central role in Palestinian governance, Western governments halted aid to the PA, placing the body under severe financial strain. The US and many other Western governments view Hamas as a “terrorist” organisation.

Amid Western pressure and heightened tensions between Hamas and Fatah, PA President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Haniyeh and dissolved his government. This resulted in an independent Hamas-led government in Gaza in 2007, headed by Haniyeh.

As Hamas took over governance, Israel, in cooperation with neighbouring Egypt, imposed a siege on the enclave, which has continued for 17 years. “This siege should not break our will and should not turn this conflict into an internal Palestinian conflict, and that conflict should be against the parties that imposed the siege against the Palestinian people,” Haniyeh said in a news briefing in 2006.

Appointed as head of Hamas’s political bureau in 2017, replacing Khaled Meshal, Haniyeh led Hamas’s diplomacy from a number of locations, including Turkey and the Qatari capital, Doha, serving as a negotiator in ceasefire talks or engaging in talks with Iran, a key supporter of Palestinian liberation.

“Haniyeh was a political figure and a pragmatic one,” Palestinian political analyst Nour Odeh told Al Jazeera. “He was known for maintaining very positive relations with Palestinian leaders from all factions.”

After the October 7 attacks on southern Israel, the government of Israel made it clear that senior Hamas leaders were in effect on its hit list. Many of Haniyeh’s close relatives have been killed in Gaza since then.

In April, three of his sons were killed in an Israeli air strike that struck their vehicle. Four of his grandchildren were also killed – three girls and a boy. In all, Haniyeh said, 60 of his relatives have been killed in the past 10 months.

“All our people and all the families of Gaza residents have paid a heavy price with the blood of their children, and I am one of them,” he said in an interview.

His assassination marks the latest killing of a senior Hamas leader. Most recently this year, senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri was killed in an Israeli drone strike in Beirut.

But Barrari said Israeli assassinations have “never finished Hamas” in the past and wouldn’t now.

“It’s not like Israel is fighting a mafia. These people represent Palestinian resistance,” he said.

www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/31/life-of-defiance-ismail-...

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#2 [Permalink] Posted on 31st July 2024 11:14

Statement by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan on the Martyrdom of Dr. Ismail Haniyeh, Political Leader of Hamas

It is with profound sorrow that we received the news of the martyrdom of Dr. Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), who was killed in an attack in Tehran last night. Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we shall return.

Martyr Ismail Haniyeh was a distinguished, wise, and resolute Palestinian leader who made significant sacrifices in his successful struggle and Jihad, fulfilling his commitment in this manner.

For a Muslim and a fighter, martyrdom represents a tremendous victory; he has succeeded and left behind a legacy of resistance, selflessness, patience, perseverance, struggle, and practical sacrifice for his followers.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to his grieving family, the leadership of Hamas, and the Mujahideen who continue to resist the Zionist invaders. We pray that Allah Almighty grants martyr Haniyeh eternal paradise and bestows patience and strength upon his family and all the Mujahideen.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan regards defending Hamas and the sacred land of Palestine as both an Islamic and humanitarian duty. We strongly condemn the atrocities, bombings, and genocide perpetrated by the Zionist regime against Palestinian Muslims as egregious crimes against humanity. We consider the martyrdom of this great figure as a significant loss to the Islamic Ummah and the Jihadist cause. We reiterate our call to influential parties, particularly within the Islamic and Arab world, to intensify their efforts to thwart the Zionist invasion and its associated atrocities.

The ongoing crimes of the Zionist regime will undoubtedly lead to further instability in the region and its countries, with the resulting disturbances and adverse outcomes falling squarely on the shoulders of the invading Zionists and their supporters.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
31/07/2024

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#3 [Permalink] Posted on 31st July 2024 12:10

There are a few things to consider about the assassination of a Hamas chief while he was in Iran. Some might think Iran allowed this to happen, which sounds like a backstab. But it could be more strategic. Assassinating Haniyeh in Turkey, Qatar, or Egypt would have caused major issues. These countries are crucial to the American security setup in the region. Stirring up trouble there would mess with the diplomatic, economic, and military network that the U.S. and Israel rely on.

A high-profile assassination in these countries could lead to huge protests and instability, which no one wants. Remember the Mossad assassination in Dubai? That led to an agreement to avoid such actions to keep things calm.

Then there's Jordan. It's got a weak security setup, and a big incident there could cause a sudden collapse, leading to chaos that's hard to control.

Basically, you can carry out an assassination anywhere, but it's all about the fallout. No one wants mass protests or instability in key places like Turkey, Qatar, Egypt, or Jordan. Iran, however, might be seen as less critical in this context, making it a more 'acceptable' spot for such an operation without causing a regional uproar.

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#4 [Permalink] Posted on 31st July 2024 12:41

It wouldn't be surprising if Iran willingly provided the whereabouts of the Hamas leader in exchange for de-escalation with Israel. Iran and Hezbollah have been desperately seeking an off-ramp in this conflict.

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#5 [Permalink] Posted on 31st July 2024 12:53

Inna Lillahe Wa Inna Alayhi Rajioun.

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#6 [Permalink] Posted on 31st July 2024 13:00

Although the assassination of the Hamas chief on its own soil is deeply humiliating, Iran is not inclined to respond without first agreeing with the US on what the response should be and agreeing to give Israel and its allies all the information they need to repel any response.

Iran does not want an outright regional war. Tehran is fairly convinced that, although Democrats are generally supportive of Israel, they are far less supportive of a war so close to elections, especially one the US public is unlikely to back.

Moreover, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, whose media have been relentlessly anti-Hamas and anti-Palestinian, are pleased with Iran's humiliation. However, neither wants a US war with Iran where Washington expects them to be on the front line; they'd prefer US troops to do the fighting.

The events of the past 48 hours may put more pressure on Netanyahu himself. His allies might argue he now has a 'scalp' to present to the Israelis as a 'victory', offering a chance to de-escalate. Whether US Democrats push him in this direction is another matter entirely.

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#7 [Permalink] Posted on 1st August 2024 13:06

WhatsApp was used to locate Shaheed Ismail Haniyeh!

WhatsApp which belongs to META (Facebook)

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Actions are judged by intentions, so each man will have what he intended.
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#8 [Permalink] Posted on 2nd August 2024 09:09

Martyrdom of Dr Ismail Haniyeh (Rahimahullah), Political Leader of Hamas

It is with profound sorrow that we received the news of the martyrdom of Dr. Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), who was killed in an attack in Tehran early yesterday. Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we shall return.

Shaheed Ismail Haniyeh was a distinguished, wise, and resolute Palestinian leader who made significant sacrifices in his successful struggle and Jihad, fulfilling his commitment in this manner.

For a Muslim and a fighter, martyrdom represents a tremendous victory; he has succeeded and left behind a legacy of resistance, selflessness, patience, perseverance, struggle, and practical sacrifice for his followers.

In this on-going war of extermination, the martyred leader lost at least eighty-nine members of his extended family, including three sons and four grandchildren, killed in a targeted attack on 10th April. Not setting himself apart from the humanitarian toll and suffering, on this occasion he was quoted as saying: "All our people and all the families of Gaza residents have paid a heavy price with the blood of their children, and I am one of them."

We extend our heartfelt condolences to his grieving family, the leadership of Hamas, and the Mujahideen who continue to resist the Zionist invaders. We pray that Allah Almighty grants Shaheed Haniyeh eternal paradise and bestows patience and strength upon his family and all the Mujahideen. Ameen.

Glimpses from the life of Shaheed Ismail Haniyeh (Rahimahullah)
His family hails from the same village as that of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Al-Joura, located in Asqalan.
He was a graduate, and very active in student activities in his youth at the Islamic University of Gaza.
He was imprisoned by the Israeli regime for the first time in 1987, followed by further incarcerations in 1988 and 1989.
He was amongst the hundreds of Palestinian activists exiled by Israel to the Marj al-Zuhur area in southern Lebanon in 1992.
Headed up the office of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, after the Sheikh's release from Israeli prison in 1997, and rose to become a close confidant of the Sheikh.
In 2003, he was injured in an Israeli attack attempting to eliminate the Hamas leadership.
He was an advocate of Hamas playing a greater role in politics, and for Hamas to evolve from being a purely socio-religious movement to a political party.
Following Hamas's electoral victory in 2006, he was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Palestine
He was the leader of Hamas in Gaza until 2017, when he was elected the overall leader of Hamas. He thereafter relocated to Qatar, and was unable to return to Gaza ever since.
In 2018, he was placed on United States' list of "specially designated global terrorists."
He was well-loved in Gaza, where he lived a simple life among its residents. He was a Hafidh of Quran, and would lead Salaah at his local Masjid.

May Allah Ta’ala raise his status, shower him with mercy, and forgive his shortcomings. May he afforded true rest after a life of toil and struggle. May his blood be pivotal in ripening the tree of freedom for the land of Bayt al-Maqdis and Masjid al-Aqsa.

Jamiatul Ulama (KZN)
Council of Muslim Theologians

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#9 [Permalink] Posted on 2nd August 2024 10:30

abu mohammed wrote:

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Claim: They tracked Hania using his WhatsApp.

Analysis:

What is the source for this information? It could only be the ones who did it: Israel. Therefore, it's highly likely to be false.

Why would they reveal such information, even by common military practice? Surely they have other targets to assassinate. Chefs don't give away their secret recipes.

Pegasus is a spyware developed by the Israeli cyber-arms company NSO Group. It is designed to be covertly and remotely installed on mobile phones running iOS and Android. However, Pegasus's development and capabilities are not specifically tied to tracking individuals through WhatsApp.

The AI machine, "Lavender," which directs Israel’s bombing operations in Gaza, is also not relevant to the claim that Ismail Haniyeh (R.A.) was tracked through WhatsApp.

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Life of defiance: Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas political boss, martyred

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