Ismail Haniyeh: Who is he and what role did he play in Hamas?

By News.Az

Ismail Haniyeh was one of the leaders of the Hamas organization and headed its political bureau from 2017 until his death. In his later years, he lived in exile, primarily in Qatar and Turkey.

Ismail Haniyeh was born on January 29, 1963, in the Palestinian refugee camp Al-Shati in the Gaza Strip. In 1987, he graduated from the Islamic University of Gaza with a degree in literature. In 1989, Haniyeh was arrested and, after three years in prison, was deported to southern Lebanon. Returning to Gaza in 1990, he was appointed dean of the Islamic University.

In 1997, after the release of Hamas movement founder Sheikh Yassin, Haniyeh became his secretary. In 2003, he was injured in an Israeli airstrike.

In December 2005, Ismail Haniyeh led the Hamas electoral list "Change and Reform" in the second Palestinian Legislative Council elections, and on January 25, 2006, the bloc won an absolute majority of seats in the legislature. On February 16, 2006, Hamas nominated Haniyeh for the post of prime minister of the autonomy, and on February 21, the chairman of the Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas tasked him with forming a new government.

In 2018, the U.S. State Department recognized Haniyeh as a terrorist. In February 2020, he held a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and in August 2020, he condemned the impending Israel-UAE peace agreement.

In September 2022, Haniyeh visited Russia, where he met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other high-ranking officials. In July 2023, a meeting between Haniyeh and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas took place in Ankara, mediated by Turkey.

On July 31, 2024, Iranian state media reported that Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran, where he was attending the inauguration of the newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Haniyeh was actively involved in fundraising for Hamas. According to various sources, his personal fortune amounted to about four billion dollars. In May 2024, International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan requested an arrest warrant for Haniyeh as responsible for war crimes.

Ismail Haniyeh left a significant mark on Palestinian politics and history, and his death caused a wide resonance on the international stage.

News.Az