Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Factions' statement: The attendees agreed to support and continue implementing the ceasefire agreement measures, including the withdrawal of the occupation and lifting the siege.
Factions' statement: Calling for an end to all forms of torture and violations against prisoners in occupation prisons and the necessity of obligating the occupation to do so.
Statement: The current moment is crucial, making the meeting a true turning point toward national unity in defense of our people and their right to life, dignity, and freedom.
Factions' statement: Call for an urgent meeting of all Palestinian forces and factions to agree on a national strategy.
Factions' statement: Continuing joint work to unify visions and positions to confront the challenges facing the Palestinian cause.
Statement of the factions: Emphasis on the unity of the Palestinian political system and the independent national decision.
Statement: Approval to establish an international committee to oversee the financing and implementation of the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
Statement: The committee is responsible for managing life and services in cooperation with Arab brothers and international institutions, based on transparency and accountability.
Resistance factions' statement: Agreement to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a temporary Palestinian committee of independent technocrats.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Two people martyred in the Israeli airstrike that targeted a vehicle in Toul.

Ismail Haniyeh's journey of Resistance: From exile to martyrdom

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Al Mayadeen English
  • 31 Jul 2024 09:03
  • 15 Shares
4 Min Read

Providing an exemplary model of Resistance, from student activism to heading Hamas' political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh is martyred and joins the list of leaders who sacrificed everything for Palestine.

Listen
  • x
  • Ismail Haniyeh was martyred earlier this morning, on July 31, 2024, in an airstrike on his residence in Tehran. (Al Mayadeen English)
    Ismail Haniyeh was martyred earlier this morning, on July 31, 2024, in an airstrike on his residence in Tehran. (Al Mayadeen English)

The Hamas Resistance movement mourned on Wednesday the martyrdom of the head of its political bureau and leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in a "treacherous Zionist strike" and assassination targeting his place of residence in Tehran, Iran. Haniyeh was in the country participating in the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected Iranian president. 

Ismail Haniyeh was born in the al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza, on May 23, 1963, after his parents were displaced from Asqalan during the 1948 Nakba. 

He received his degree in Arabic Literature in 1987 from the Islamic University, then earned his doctorate from his alma mater in 2009. 

Political activism

Haniyeh's political activism began within the Islamic Bloc, the student branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Gaza Strip, from which the Hamas Resistance movement was born. 

He was a member of his university's student council between 1983 and 1984, then acted as its president the following year. 

In 1989, Ismail Haniyeh was arrested by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) for three years, then was exiled to the town of Marj al-Zuhur by the Lebanese-Palestinian border, alongside a group of Hamas leaders. 

Following a year in exile, Haniyeh returned to Gaza and was appointed as the dean of the Islamic University. 

Related News

US-backed GHF in talks over future role in postwar Gaza: FT

Majority of Americans support recognizing Palestinian state

In 1997, he was appointed as the head of the bureau of Hamas founder, Sheikh Ahmad Yassine, following his release from Israeli detention. He was later voted as the leader of the movement in Gaza, following the martyrdom of its previous leader, Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Rantisi, in 2004. 

In December 2005, he headed the "Change and Reform" list, which won the second legislative Palestinian elections in 2006, with a majority vote. Shortly after, on February 16, 2006, he was nominated to take over the position of prime minister in Palestine and was officially instated on the 20th of the same month. 

In May 2017, he succeeded Khaled Mashal to be the head of Hamas' Political Bureau. 

Ismail Haniyeh has been a target of multiple political assassination attempts, the latest being in 2003, when the Israeli occupation launched an airstrike against a group of Resistance leaders following a martyrdom operation carried out by al-Qassam Brigades. 

Operation Al-Aqsa Flood

When Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, a cheerful Haniyeh appeared in a broadcast video, alongside several of the movement's leaders, from his Doha office. He had been following reports of the fighters of the Martyr Izz al-Din al-Qassam, the military wing of Hamas, seizing Israeli military vehicles, before leading a prayer to "thank God for this victory." 

On April 10, six of Haniyeh's family members, including three of his sons and a number of his grandchildren, were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting their car, after they had taken it to drive around the al-Shati refugee camp and celebrate with its residents in the spirit of Eid al-Fitr. 

On June 24, 10 of his family members, including his sister, were killed in an Israeli attack that deliberately targeted their home in al-Shati refugee camp. 

Amid their martyrdom, Haniyeh said, "Nearly 60 of my family members rest as martyrs, like the children of Palestine, they are no different," adding that the occupation thinks targeting the sons of Resistance leaders would break the will of the people of Palestine. 

'We declare victory'

"My sons' and grandchildren's blood is not more precious than the Palestinian people's children's," Haniyeh said when his family members were murdered by "Israel", thanking God for the "honor" he was generously awarded, upon their martyrdom. 

In a speech he gave in 2014, blasting the ongoing siege on the Gaza Strip, the martyred leader said, "We are a people who declare victory should you declare a siege upon us. If you wish to break the will of Gaza and its people, then [know that] we only kneel before God. Every decision-maker, inside and outside Palestine, should grasp the message of our people: We are a people that cherish death the way our enemies cherish life, we cherish martyrdom on the path of our leaders the way others cherish political offices. Take all the offices you wish and give us our nation." 

  • war on Gaza
  • assassination
  • Israel
  • Israeli occupation
  • Hamas
  • Al-Qassam Brigades
  • Ismail Haniyeh

Most Read

From previous scenes of the Qassam Brigades targeting an Israeli D9 bulldozer with a Yassin 105 shell, east of Deir al-Balah. (Military Media of the Qassam Brigades)

US knew fatal Rafah blast cause was not Hamas op., says journalist

  • Politics
  • 20 Oct 2025
'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

  • Technology
  • 24 Oct 2025
Abu Hamza, the spokesperson for the Al-Quds Brigades, during a speech televised on October 22, 2025 (Al-Quds Brigades Military Media)

Al-Quds Brigades' Abu Hamza mourns leaders, vows continued resistance

  • Politics
  • 22 Oct 2025
US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

  • Africa
  • 23 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Flags of Iran, Russia, and China (IRNA)
Politics

Russia, China, Iran send joint letter to IAEA on Resolution 2231 end

Rubio says UNRWA to play no role in Gaza aid deliveries
Politics

Rubio says UNRWA to play no role in Gaza aid deliveries

Tents are seen at UN school used as a shelter for displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis, Tuesday, September 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Politics

UN warns of 'lost generation' amid Gaza education crisis

x
Politics

White House pushes to repeal US sanctions on Syria: Report

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS