Nizar Rayan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader in Hamas | |
| In office 2004 – 1 January 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Sheikh Ahmed Yassin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 March 1959 Jabalia, Gaza Strip |
| Died | 1 January 2009 (aged 49) Jabalia, Gaza Strip |
| Cause of death | Airstrike |
| Nationality | Palestinian |
| Political party | Hamas |
| Spouse | 4 wives (all deceased) |
| Children | 12 (all deceased) |
| Alma mater | Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University, Omdurman Islamic University, University of Jordan |
| Occupation | Professor of Islamic law |
| Known for | Hamas leadership |
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Nizar Rayan (Arabic: نزار ريان, Nɩzár Rɑȋán, also transliterated Rayyan; 6 March 1959 – 1 January 2009) was a high-ranking Hamas leader who served as a liaison between the Palestinian organization's political leadership and its military wing. Also a professor of Islamic law, he became a top Islamic cleric within Hamas after the death of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in 2004. Rayan was a strong promoter between 1994 and 2004 of suicide bombings on Israel, and his son killed himself on one such mission. Rayan and most of his family were killed in an Israeli airstrike during the Gaza War.