- 8/3/2024
Publish the story of the struggle of part of Ismail Haniyeh's life from birth to death
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00:00Ismail Haniyeh Published the story of the struggle of part
00:03of Ismail Haniyeh's life from birth to death, Ismail Haniyeh was a Palestinian politician
00:08who was the political leader of Hamas, the militant organization that has governed the
00:12Gaza Strip since 2007.
00:14From 2017 until his assassination in 2024, he had mostly lived in Qatar.
00:19Haniyeh was born in the al-Shadi refugee camp in the then-Egyptian-controlled Gaza Strip
00:23in 1962 or 1963 to parents who were expelled or fled from Ashkelon during the 1948 Palestine
00:30War.
00:31He earned a bachelor's degree in Arabic literature from the Islamic University of Gaza in 1987,
00:36where he first became involved with the militant group Hamas, which was formed during the first
00:41intifada against the Israeli occupation.
00:43His involvement led to his imprisonment for three short periods after participating in
00:47protests after his release in 1992.
00:51He was exiled to Lebanon, returning a year later to become a dean at Gaza's Islamic
00:55University.
00:56Haniyeh was appointed to head a Hamas office in 1997 and subsequently rose in the ranks
01:01of the organization.
01:02Haniyeh was head of the Hamas list that won the Palestinian legislative elections of 2006,
01:07which campaigned on armed resistance against Israel, and so became prime minister of the
01:12state of Palestine.
01:13However, Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, dismissed Haniyeh from office on 14 June 2007
01:20due to the then-ongoing Fatah, Hamas conflict.
01:22Haniyeh did not acknowledge Abbas' decree and continued to exercise prime ministerial
01:26authority in the Gaza Strip.
01:28Haniyeh was the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip from 2006 until February 2017, when
01:34he was replaced by Yahya Sinwar.
01:36Haniyeh was seen by many diplomats as one of the more pragmatic and moderate figures
01:40in Hamas.
01:41On 6 May 2017, Haniyeh was elected chairman of Hamas's political bureau, replacing Khaled
01:47Mashel.
01:48At the same time, Haniyeh relocated from the Gaza Strip to Qatar.
01:51Under his tenure, Hamas launched the October 7 attack on Israel, which he celebrated in
01:55Doha.
01:56Following Hamas' attack in late 2023, Israel declared its intention to assassinate all
02:01Hamas leaders.
02:02In May 2024, Karim Khan, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, announced
02:07his intention to apply for an arrest warrant for Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders for war
02:11crimes and crimes against humanity, as part of the ICC investigation in Palestine.
02:17On 31 July 2024, Haniyeh was assassinated by an explosive smuggled into a residence
02:22in Tehran two months prior to his visit to Iran for the inauguration of its newly elected
02:27president.
02:28Ismail Abdel Salam Ahmed Haniyeh was born to a family of Muslim Palestinians in the
02:32al-Shadi refugee camp of the Egyptian-occupied Gaza Strip.
02:36His parents were expelled or fled from Ashkelon during the 1948 Palestine War, part of the
02:41territory where Israel was then established.
02:43In his youth, he worked in Israel to support his family.
02:47He attended United Nations, run schools and graduated from the Islamic University of Gaza
02:51with a degree in Arabic literature in 1987.
02:54He became involved with Hamas while at university.
02:57From 1985 to 1986, he was head of the Students' Council representing the Muslim Brotherhood.
03:03He played as a midfielder in the Islamic Association football team.
03:06He graduated at about the time that the first intifada against the Israeli occupation broke
03:10out, during which he participated in protests against Israel.
03:14Haniyeh participated in protests in the first intifada and was given a short prison sentence
03:18by an Israeli military court.
03:20He was detained by Israel again in 1988 and imprisoned for six months.
03:25In 1989, he was imprisoned for three years.
03:28Following his release in 1992, the Israeli military authorities of the occupied Palestinian
03:33territories exiled him to Lebanon with senior Hamas leaders Abdel Aziz al-Rantis, Mahmoud
03:38Zahar, Aziz Duweik, and 400 other activists.
03:42The activists stayed at Marj al-Zawr in southern Lebanon for over a year, where, according
03:47to BBC News, Hamas received unprecedented media exposure and became known throughout
03:51the world.
03:52A year later, he returned to Gaza and was appointed dean of the Islamic University.
03:56After Israel released Ahmed Yassin from prison in 1997, Haniyeh was appointed to head his
04:01office.
04:02His prominence within Hamas grew due to his relationship with Yassin and he was appointed
04:06as the representative to the Palestinian Authority.
04:09His position within Hamas continued to strengthen during the second Intifada due to his relationship
04:14with Yassin, and because of the assassinations of much of the Hamas leadership by the Israeli
04:18security forces.
04:20He was targeted by the Israel Defense Forces for his alleged involvement in attacks against
04:24Israeli citizen, following a suicide bombing in Jerusalem in 2003.
04:30He was slightly injured on his hand by an Israeli Air Force bomb attack attempting to
04:34eliminate the Hamas leadership.
04:35In December 2005, Haniyeh was elected to head the Hamas List, which won the Legislative
04:40Council elections the following month.
04:42Haniyeh succeeded Khaled Mashal's head leadership of Hamas in elections held in 2016.
04:47Haniyeh was nominated as prime minister on 16 February 2006 following the Hamas List
04:53of Change and Reform victory on 25 January 2006.
04:57He was formally presented to President Mahmoud Abbas on 20 February and was sworn in on 29
05:03March 2006.
05:05Israel implemented a series of punitive measures, including economic sanctions, against the
05:09Palestinian Authority following the election.
05:12Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, announced that Israel would not transfer to the Palestinian
05:17Authority and estimated $50 million per month in tax receipts that were collected by Israel
05:22on behalf of the Palestinian Authority.
05:24Haniyeh dismissed the sanctions, stating that Hamas would neither disarm nor would it recognize
05:29Israel.
05:30Haniyeh expressed regret that Hamas was subjected to punitive measures, adding that it should
05:34have responded differently to the democracy expressed by the Palestinian people.
05:38The United States demanded that $50 million in unexpended foreign aid funds for the Palestinian
05:43Authority be returned to the United States, which Palestinian Economic Minister Mazen
05:47Sanakrat agreed to do, on the loss of foreign aid from the United States and the European
05:52Union.
05:53Haniyeh commented that, the West is always using its donations to apply pressure on the
05:57Palestinian people.
05:58Several months after Hamas' 2006 election victory, Haniyeh sent a letter to U.S. President
06:04George W. Bush, in which he called on the American government to have direct negotiations
06:09with the elected government, offered a long-term truce with Israel, while accepting a Palestinian
06:14state within the 1967 borders and urged an end to the international boycott, claiming
06:19that it would encourage violence and chaos.
06:21The U.S. government did not respond and maintained its boycott.
06:25An agreement with Abbas was to have been reached to stop Abbas's call for new elections.
06:29On 20 October 2006, on the eve of this deal to end factional fighting between Fatah and
06:35Hamas, Haniyeh's convoy came under gunfire in Gaza and one of the cars was set on fire.
06:40Haniyeh was not hurt in the attack.
06:42Hamas sources said that this was not an assassination attempt.
06:46Palestinian Authority security sources reported that the attackers were the relatives of a
06:49Fatah man killed by clashes with Hamas.
06:52During the simmering Fatah-Hamas conflict, on 14 December 2006, Haniyeh was denied entry
06:58to Gaza from Egypt at the Rafah border crossing.
07:00The border crossing was closed by order of Israeli Minister of Defense Amir Peretz.
07:05Haniyeh was returning to Gaza from his first official trip abroad as prime minister.
07:09He was carrying an estimated U.S. $30 million in cash, intended for Palestinian Authority
07:14payments.
07:15Israeli authorities later stated that they would allow Haniyeh to cross the border provided
07:19he left the money in Egypt, which would reportedly be transferred to an Arab League bank account.
07:24A gun battle between Hamas militants and the Palestinian Presidential Guard was reported
07:29at the Rafah border crossing in response to the incident.
07:32The EU monitors who operated the crossing were reportedly evacuated safely.
07:36When Haniyeh later attempted to cross the border, an exchange of gunfire left one bodyguard
07:41dead and Haniyeh's eldest son wounded.
07:43Hamas denounced the incident as an attempt by rival Fatah on Haniyeh's life, prompting
07:47firefights in the West Bank and Gaza Strip between Hamas and Fatah forces.
07:51Haniyeh was quoted as saying that he knew who the alleged perpetrators were, but declined
07:55to identify them and appealed for Palestinian unity.
07:59Egypt offered to mediate the situation.
08:01Haniyeh resigned on 15 February 2007 as part of the process to form a national unity government
08:07between Hamas and Fatah.
08:08He formed a new government on 18 March 2007 as head of a new cabinet that included Fatah
08:13as well as Hamas politicians.
08:15On 14 June 2007, amid the Battle of Gaza, President Mahmoud Abbas announced the dissolution
08:21of the March 2007 unity government and the declaration of a state of emergence.
08:26Haniyeh was dismissed and Abbas ruled Gaza and the West Bank by presidential decree.
08:30Around 2016, Haniyeh relocated from Gaza to Qatar.
08:34He maintained an office in Doha.
08:35On 13 October 2016, the Legal Committee of the Palestinian Legislative Council endorsed
08:41a request for the return of Haniyeh's government to the Gaza Strip following its resignation
08:46on 2 June 2014.
08:48The endorsement was made in response to PLC's review of a study submitted by members of
08:52Hamas parliament, angry about perceived government failings following Haniyeh's resignation.
08:57In Hamas' own words, denouncing the consensus government's reneging on the internal accord
09:02between Hamas and factions of the Palestine Liberation Organization to form the 2014 consensus
09:07government and replacing several ministers with Fatah leaders, turning it into a Fatah
09:12government, despite the PLC recommendation and Hamas' plea.
09:16Both the consensus government and Fatah refused the request, citing in a press release its
09:20illegality and risk of further divisions between Hamas-controlled Gaza and the West Bank.
09:25As of November 2016, reports circulated regarding Haniyeh's succession have called Mashal as
09:30leader of Hamas.
09:31Mashal, Haniyeh and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met in Qatar recently to discuss
09:36national reconciliation and the upcoming national elections.
09:39This meeting signaled that Haniyeh had been selected over the other two likely candidates,
09:44senior Hamas member Moussa Mohammed Abu Marzouk and Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar.
09:48In 2018 he was placed on United States list of specially designated global terrorists.
09:53Haniyeh left Gaza in September to visit a series of Arab and Muslim states in preparation
09:58for his new role and officially relocated to the Qatari capital of Doha, where Mashal
10:02has been residing.
10:03It is expected of the head of Hamas Politburo to live outside of the Gaza Strip.
10:07In February 2020, Haniyeh met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, U.S. State
10:13Department stated President Erdogan's continued outreach to this terrorist organization only
10:17serves to isolate Turkey from the international community, harms the interests of the Palestinian
10:22people and undercuts global efforts to prevent terrorist attacks launched from Gaza.
10:27In August 2020, Haniyeh called Mahmoud Abbas and rejected the normalization agreement between
10:32Israel and the United Arab Emirates, something which Reuters called a rare show of unity.
10:37On 26 July 2023, Haniyeh met with Erdogan and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud
10:43Abbas.
10:44Behind the meeting was Turkey's effort to reconcile Fatah with Hamas.
10:48On 7 October 2023, the day of the Hamas attack on Israel, Haniyeh was in Istanbul, Turkey.
10:54Footage from his office in the Qatari capital of Doha showed Haniyeh celebrating the Hamas-led
10:587 October attack on Israel with other Hamas officials, before they prayed and praised
11:03God.
11:04According to the Telegraph, Haniyeh became the public face of the attack, publicly describing
11:09it as the start of a new era in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
11:12Haniyeh gave a televised address in which he cited threats to al-Aqsa Mosque, the Israeli
11:17blockade of Gaza and plight of Palestinian refugees.
11:20How many times have we warned you that the Palestinian people have been living in refugee
11:24camps for 75 years, and you refuse to recognize the rights of our people?
11:29He went on to say that Israel, which cannot protect itself in the face of resisters, could
11:33not provide protection for other Arab countries, and that all the normalization agreements
11:37that you signed with that entity cannot resolve this conflict.
11:41On 10 October, Haniyeh said Hamas would not consider the release of any Israeli captives
11:45until the war was over.
11:47He claimed that the scope of Israel's retaliation was a reflection of the resounding impact
11:51that the 7 October attack had on the country, and reiterated that the Palestinian people
11:55in Gaza had a willingness to sacrifice all that is precious for the sake of their freedom
12:00and dignity.
12:01He added that Israel will pay a heavy price for their crimes and terrorism against the
12:04people of Palestine.
12:06On 15 October 2023, The Times of Israel reported that Haniyeh was politely sent away from Turkey.
12:12Turkey officially denied these reports.
12:14Haniyeh later met with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdullahi in Andoha.
12:19On 16 October 2023, Haniyeh and Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed the
12:25possibility of releasing the hostages taken during the Hamas attack on Israel.
12:29On 21 October 2023, Haniyeh spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the latest
12:36developments in the Israel-Hamas war and the current situation in Gaza.
12:40On 1 November 2023, Haniyeh accused Israel of committing barbaric massacres against unarmed
12:46civilians after Israel conducted an attack on the Jabalia refugee camp in an operation
12:51targeting senior Hamas member Ibrahim Bairi, and resolved that fighting would continue
12:55until Palestinians obtain their legitimate rights to freedom, independence and return.
13:00On 2 November 2023, Haniyeh stated that if Israel agreed to a ceasefire and the opening
13:06of humanitarian corridors to bring more aid into Gaza, Hamas is ready for political negotiations
13:12for a two-state solution with Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, adding that Israeli
13:17captives are subjected to the same destruction and death as our people.
13:20On 13 December, an opinion poll showed that Haniyeh would defeat incumbent Mahmoud Abbas
13:25by a landslide for the position of President of the State of Palestine.
13:28However, in a three-way race between Haniyeh, Abbas and Marwan Barghouti, Barghouti would
13:33win 47%, Haniyeh would win 43% and Abbas would win 7%.
13:39Barghouti is under solitary imprisonment by Israel.
13:42On 20 May 2024, an arrest warrant for Haniyeh, as well as for other Palestinian and Israeli
13:47leaders, was requested by the International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan as part
13:52of the ICC investigation in Palestine.
13:55On several counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Israel-Hamas war,
13:59Haniyeh was seen as relatively one of the more pragmatic and moderate figures in Hamas.
14:04During the Pope Benedict XVI Islam controversy in 2006, Haniyeh strongly objected to the
14:10Pope's remarks.
14:11In the name of the Palestinian people, we condemn the Pope's remarks on Islam.
14:14These remarks go against the truth and touch the heart of our faith.
14:18Haniyeh also denounced the Muslim attacks on churches in the West Bank and Gaza that
14:22occurred in reaction to the controversy.
14:24In August 2006, on his first visit abroad as prime minister to Iran, Haniyeh said we
14:29will never recognize the usurper Zionist government and will continue our jihad-like movement
14:34until the liberation of Jerusalem.
14:36In December 2010, Haniyeh stated at a news conference in Gaza, we accept a Palestinian
14:40state on the borders of 1967, with Jerusalem as its capital, the release of Palestinian
14:46prisoners and the resolution of the issue of refugees.
14:49In addition, he said that if the Palestinian electorate approves such a peace agreement
14:53with Israel, his government will abide by it notwithstanding previous Hamas positions
14:57on the issue.
14:58On 23 March 2014, during a festival commemorating the 10th anniversary of the assassination
15:03of Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, Haniyeh delivered a speech to a crowd of Hamas supporters, saying
15:08from within Gaza, I repeat again and again, we will not recognize Israel.
15:12The Gaza blockade is unfortunately getting tighter and tighter.
15:16During this speech, the crowd chanted move forward Hamas, move, we are the cannon and
15:20you are the bullets, oh Qasim, our beloved, bombard Tel Aviv.
15:24On 2 May 2011, Osama bin Laden was killed by US forces and the killing was praised by
15:29Hamas's rival Fatah.
15:31Haniyeh instead referred to bin Laden as an Arab holy warrior, and condemned his killing
15:36as the continuation of the American oppression and shedding of blood of Muslims and Arabs.
15:41Political analysts said the remarks were an attempt to cool differences in the Gaza Strip
15:45with al-Qaeda-inspired Salafi groups, which condemn Hamas as too moderate.
15:49Another analyst wrote that Haniyeh's statement was directed at an Arab audience, and he saw
15:53an opportunity to distinguish Hamas from Fatah and exploit anti-American sentiment.
15:58The United States government condemned his remarks as outrageous.
16:01Haniyeh was married and had 13 children, three of whom were killed in 2024.
16:06In 2009, the family lived in al-Shadi refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip.
16:11In 2010, Haniyeh purchased a 2,500-square-meter parcel of land in Rimel, a Gaza City beachfront
16:17neighborhood.
16:18Haniyeh registered the land in the name of his son-in-law.
16:20Subsequently, Haniyeh reportedly purchased additional homes and registered them under
16:24the names of his children.
16:26According to a 2014 UNIT article, Haniyeh was a millionaire, stemming from the 20 percent
16:31tax charged on all items entering through tunnels from Egypt to the Gaza Strip.
16:35Haniyeh's eldest son was arrested by Egyptian authorities at the Rafah border crossing with
16:39several million dollars, which he intended to take into Gaza.
16:43Haniyeh's sisters, Khalidiyah, Leila, and Sabah, are Israeli citizens and live in the
16:47Bedouin town of Tel Es-Sabai in southern Israel.
16:50Khalidiyah moved to Tel Es-Sabai first and then her two sisters followed.
16:53Khalidiyah's husband said, "'Our life is normal here and we want it to continue.'"
16:57Leila and Sabah are both widowed but remain in Tel Es-Sabai, presumably to retain their
17:02Israeli citizenship.
17:03Some of the children of the three sisters have served in the Israel Defense Forces.
17:07In early 2012, Israeli authorities granted a request to travel by Haniyeh's sister,
17:12Sohila Abdel Salam Ahmed Haniyeh, and her critically ill husband for emergency heart
17:16treatment that could not be treated by hospitals in Gaza.
17:20After successful treatment at the Rabin Medical Center in Petitikva, Israel, the couple returned
17:25to Gaza.
17:26Haniyeh's granddaughter was treated in an Israeli hospital in November 2013 and his
17:30mother-in-law was treated in an Israeli hospital in June 2014.
17:34In October 2014, a few months after the 2014 Israel-Gaza War, Haniyeh's daughter spent
17:39a week in an Israeli hospital in Tel Aviv for emergency treatment after she suffered
17:44complications from a routine procedure.
17:46In September 2016, Haniyeh left Gaza with his wife and two of his sons for the annual
17:50pilgrimage to Mecca, known as the Hajj.
17:53This trip, interpreted as a campaign commencement, bolstered reports that Haniyeh was to replace
17:58Mashal.
17:59He went to Qasem Soleimani's funeral in Tehran, Iran in 2020.
18:03As of 2023, Haniyeh lived in Qatar.
18:06In October 2023, 14 members of his family were killed in an Israeli airstrike on his
18:11family home in Gaza City, among them a brother and nephew.
18:14In November 2023, a granddaughter of his, Roa Haniyeh, was reportedly killed in an Israeli
18:20airstrike in Gaza City.
18:21Later that month his eldest grandson was killed in an Israeli strike.
18:25On 10 April 2024, three of his sons, Hazem, Amir, and Mohamed, and four of his grandchildren
18:31were killed in an Israeli airstrike on their family car in the Gaza Strip.
18:35The three sons and three of the grandchildren died on the day.
18:38The New Arab reported that another granddaughter, named Malek, who had also been in the car,
18:42died of her injuries a week later.
18:44The BBC named the four grandchildren as Mona, Amal, Khaled, and Razen.
18:48Israel claimed Haniyeh's sons were Hamas operatives and were on their way to carry out terrorist
18:53activities.
18:54Most other sources say that at the time of the airstrike, the family members had been
18:57traveling together to Eid al-Fitr celebration.
19:00Middle East Eye released a video filmed on a mobile phone that allegedly shows one of
19:04Haniyeh's granddaughter's moments before fatal Israeli strike.
19:07She is excited about the festivities yelling Eid has come.
19:10On 25 June 2024, 10 members of his family, including his 80-year-old sister, were killed
19:16in an Israeli airstrike in al-Shadi refugee camp.
19:19On 31 July 2024, Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, where he was attending the inauguration
19:25of newly elected president of Iran Massoud Pazeshki.
19:28Hamas said that he was killed, along with one of his bodyguards, by a Zionist airstrike
19:32on a residence.
19:34Other sources told Al Arabiya that the cause was a hidden bomb that could have been hidden
19:37two months before the explosion.
19:39He was 62 at the time.
19:41According to the New York Times, Haniyeh was assassinated using a remotely detonated explosive
19:46device hidden in his guesthouse room two months earlier, which was triggered once he was confirmed
19:50to be inside.
19:51A funeral was held for Haniyeh in Tehran on 1 August, with Iran's Supreme Leader Ali
19:56Khamenei leading prayers.
19:58Haniyeh's remains will then be taken to Qatar and buried in Doha.
20:02I stop at this point today.
20:03I hope I added something to you.
20:05You enjoyed the last few minutes.
20:07We will meet with you soon.
20:09Thank you for watching.
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