Ismail Haniyeh

Ismail Haniyeh
إسماعيل هنية
Haniyeh in 2020
Chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau
In office
6 May 2017 – 31 July 2024
DeputySaleh al-Arouri[1]
Preceded byKhaled Mashal
Succeeded byYahya Sinwar[2]
Deputy Chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau
In office
4 April 2013 – 6 May 2017[3]
ChairmanKhaled Mashal
Preceded byMousa Abu Marzook
Succeeded bySaleh al-Arouri
Leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip
In office
14 June 2007[4] – 13 February 2017
Prime Minister
Preceded byPosition created[a]
Succeeded byYahya Sinwar
Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority
In office
29 March 2006 – 2 June 2014
Disputed: 14 June 2007 – 6 January 2013[b]
President
Preceded byAhmed Qurei
Succeeded byRami Hamdallah (as Prime Minister of the State of Palestine)
Personal details
Born
Ismail Abd al-Salah Ahmad Haniyeh

(1962-01-29) 29 January 1962 (age 62)[c]
Al-Shati refugee camp, Egyptian-occupied Gaza Strip
Died31 July 2024(2024-07-31) (aged 62)
Tehran, Iran
Manner of deathAssassination
Resting placeLusail royal cemetery, Lusail, Qatar[5]
NationalityPalestinian
Political partyHamas
SpouseAmal[6]
Children13[d]
Alma materIslamic University of Gaza (BA)

Ismail Haniyeh[e] (Arabic: إسماعيل هنية, romanizedIsmāʿīl Haniyyah,[8][6][9] pronunciation;[f] 29 January 1962[c] – 31 July 2024) was a Palestinian politician who served as chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau from May 2017 until his assassination in July 2024.[11][12] He also served as prime minister of the Palestinian National Authority from March 2006 until June 2014 and Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip from June 2007 until February 2017, where he was succeeded by Yahya Sinwar.

Haniyeh was born in the al-Shati refugee camp in the then Egyptian-controlled Gaza Strip in 1962 or 1963,[c][13][9][14][15] to parents who were expelled or fled from Al-Jura (now part of Ashkelon) during the 1948 Palestine war.[8][6][16] He earned a bachelor's degree in Arabic literature from the Islamic University of Gaza in 1987,[16][17] where he first became involved with Hamas, which was formed during the First Intifada against the Israeli occupation. His involvement led to his imprisonment for three short periods after participating in protests. After his release in 1992, he was exiled to Lebanon, returning a year later to become a dean at Gaza's Islamic University. Haniyeh was appointed to head a Hamas office in 1997 and subsequently rose in the ranks of the organization.[18]

Haniyeh was head of the Hamas list that won the Palestinian legislative elections of 2006, which campaigned on armed resistance against Israel, and so became Prime Minister of the State of Palestine. However, Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian President, dismissed Haniyeh from office on 14 June 2007. 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.[19] 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 by many diplomats as one of the more pragmatic and moderate figures in Hamas.[20] From 2017 until his assassination in 2024, he had mostly lived in Qatar.[21]

On 6 May 2017, Haniyeh was elected chairman of Hamas's Political Bureau, replacing Khaled Mashal; at the time, Haniyeh relocated from the Gaza Strip to Qatar.[22][23] Under his tenure, Hamas launched the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, and subsequently Israel declared its intention to assassinate all Hamas leaders.[24] In May 2024, Karim Khan, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, announced his intention to apply for an arrest warrant for Haniyeh, and other Hamas leaders, for war crimes and crimes against humanity, as part of the ICC investigation in Palestine.[25][26][27] On 31 July 2024, Haniyeh was assassinated by an explosive device planted in his guesthouse in Tehran, likely by Israeli Mossad agents.[28][14][29] At the time of his death, he had been leading cease-fire negotiations with Israel for Hamas.[30][31]

  1. ^ "Hamas appoints West Bank terror chief as its deputy leader". The Times of Israel. 5 October 2017. Archived from the original on 8 February 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  2. ^ "Hamas names Yahya Sinwar as new leader after Ismail Haniyeh's killing". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  3. ^ "Hamas appoints Haniya as deputy head: party official - World News". Hürriyet Daily News. 4 April 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  4. ^ "The Palestinians try to reconcile". The Economist. 5 October 2017. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  5. ^ "Israel war on Gaza updates: Regional tensions rise as Haniyeh laid to rest". Al Jazeera. 2 August 2024. Archived from the original on 4 August 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Guardian Obituary was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hazem Amir Muhammad was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference AJ EP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b "Ismail Haniyeh". Encyclopædia Britannica. 31 July 2024. Archived from the original on 1 August 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024. born 1962?
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference F24 Abdel Salam was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Alshawabkeh, Lina (17 October 2023). "Who are the leaders of Hamas?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  12. ^ Jazaeri, Iliya. "Who Was Slain Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh?". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Archived from the original on 2 August 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  13. ^ Vinall, Frances (31 July 2024). "What to know about Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader killed in Iran". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 31 July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024. Haniyeh was born in January 1963, according to the Hamas media office [...]
  14. ^ a b Livni, Ephrat; Abdulrahim, Raja (31 July 2024). "Ismail Haniyeh, a Top Hamas Leader, Is Dead at 62". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 31 July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024. Mr. Haniyeh was born in 1962 [...]
  15. ^ Fischbach, Michael R. "Haniyeh, Ismail". encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on 31 July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024. Haniyeh was born in 1962 (some sources say January 1963) [...]
  16. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference bbcprofile was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference tbt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ "Who was Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas political leader killed in Tehran?". CNN. 31 July 2024. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  19. ^ "Abbas sacks Hamas-led government". BBC News. 14 June 2007. Archived from the original on 27 August 2007. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference r111 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ "Ismail Haniyeh". Counter Extremism Project. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  22. ^ "Ex-Gaza leader Haniyeh reportedly to replace Mashaal as Hamas head". The Times of Israel. 5 September 2016. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  23. ^ Akram, Fares (7 May 2017). "Hamas says Ismail Haniyeh chosen as Islamic group's leader". Yahoo News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 6 May 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  24. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  25. ^ Khan, Karim A.A. (20 May 2024). "Statement of ICC Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan KC: Applications for arrest warrants in the situation in the State of Palestine". icc-cpi.int. International Criminal Court. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  26. ^ Ray, Siladitya (20 May 2024). "ICC Seeks Arrest Warrants For Benjamin Netanyahu And Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar". Forbes. Archived from the original on 22 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  27. ^ Kottasová, Ivana (20 May 2024). "EXCLUSIVE: ICC seeks arrest warrants against Sinwar and Netanyahu for war crimes over October 7 attack and Gaza war". CNN. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  28. ^ "Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh killed in raid on Iran residence, says Palestinian group". The Guardian. 31 July 2024. Archived from the original on 4 August 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  29. ^ Cite error: The named reference nytbombplot was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  30. ^ "How Hamas and Iran will respond to the assassinations of top Hamas leaders". August 2024. Archived from the original on 4 August 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  31. ^ "China brokers Palestinian unity deal, but doubts persist". 24 July 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024. Israel dismisses deal, says Hamas rule in Gaza will be crushed


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