During a time, which was easily the most difficult time of all in the entire Middle East, we got to witness this man emerge who faced unwelcoming conditions and thereby became the epitome of the suffering of the Palestinian people under Israeli oppression. The path of Palestine in terms of political strife has been smoothed out by the unceasing dedication and wisdom of Ismail Haniyeh, a man who did not withdraw in the face of danger.
Haniyeh was born in 1962 in the Al-Shati Refugee Camp to Arab parents who had fled their homeland during the 1948 Palestine War. After being displaced, Haniyeh enrolled in a United Nations-run school and graduated from Gaza's Islamic University in 1987.
Haniyeh started his political journey in 1988 when he along with some others formed an Islamic conductive group. Meantime, he was in the vicinity and between his other obligations, he went to the protests during the school break. He was detained for a while thenceforward then he returned to Gaza where he became the dean of Gaza University. With his activities during the struggles for Palestine he gained in 1997, where he was the one to head a Hamas office, the president came from.
Haniyeh's efforts and unwavering commitment to the Palestinian cause paved the way for the Palestinian National Authority's 2006 general elections, in which Hamas won a majority of the seats in Parliament. He took the oath of office as Prime Minister of Palestine on March 29, 2006; however, his tenure was marked by political turmoil and clashes between the Hamas and Fatah parties. The political unrest prompted then-President Mehmood Abbas to remove Haniyeh's government.
From 2006 until 2017, he presided over Hamas as its leader. He was then elevated to the position of chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau, succeeding Khalid Meshaal. On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a strategic attack on Israel under his direction, taking control of some areas of the Gaza Strip. However, the attack resulted in massive bombings in the city of Gaza, killing hundreds of people and causing the residents to be expelled from their homeland.
Ismail Haniyeh’s efforts for Palestine
“We promise you that we will not cede a single part of Palestine, we will not cede Jerusalem, we will continue to fight and we will not lay down our arms.”
A man of belief, A man with determination, strength, resilience, and a thirst to free his homeland from the oppressors. Haniyeh was a significant figure in Palestinian politics, especially within the Gaza Strip, which Hamas governs. He served as the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority and later as the head of Hamas's political bureau. Notably, he was constantly advocating for Palestinian Rights and Sovereignty even though he was on the verge of death himself. Haniyeh under severe pressure from the Western countries still called for the Independent State of Palestine. Despite the ongoing conflict, Haniyeh has also been involved in addressing humanitarian issues in Gaza, including reconstruction projects and aid distribution, often seeking support from international organizations and Arab states. Haniyeh’s leadership and his tenure were filled with challenges and big ones, he had to deal with all the big Western powers combined as a lone warrior on the battlefield, and his sword was the prayers of innocent Palestinian People but in the end, they got the better of him.
Assassination
Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran where he had been attending the president’s inauguration on July 31st, 2024.
The lone warrior has finally reached it’s destiny and he returned to where he had always belonged. He was the face of resilience, and despite facing challenges he never surrendered, a true epitome of greatness, and from that forth he was always perceived as Shaheed (Martyr) Ismail Haniyeh. a short-range projectile carrying about 7 kilograms (15 lb) of explosive materials" that was launched from outside the building was the end of him.
Looking into the possible future, Hamas’s capabilities and strength won’t likely be getting destabilized. To support this, back in 2004, Israel assassinated the co-founders of the organization, Abdul Yassin and Abdel Aziz Rantisi, when Hamas was much smaller and weaker than it is now. But this didn’t prevent the group from growing, which shows that its intricate structure is built in a way that makes it adaptive to possible assassinations from Israel’s side.
But what’s left to be concerned for is the fact that the threat of regional escalation from Iran and its proxies is nearer than ever, as Iran’s leader Khamenei said in a statement, “We consider it our duty to avenge his blood in this bitter and difficult incident that happened in the territory of the Islamic Republic.” However, peace talks in Gaza, ceasefire deals, and negotiations over Palestinian and Israeli hostages are likely to be affected by Haniyeh’s assassination, as he was a key figure in maintaining them.
Coming back to the present, the only solid information we have from Hamas’s side is the selection of Yahya Sinwar as Hamas’s new political chief, the last and only remaining leader of this organization's top 3 chiefs.
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