Ismail Haniyeh: Early Life and Reign as Hamas' Prominent Figurehead

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Chief of the Hamas Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in an attack in Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed in an attack on their residence.

An investigation is underway and the results will be announced the following day. Haniyeh was known to be in Tehran to attend the inauguration of Iran's president-elect, Masoud Pezeshkian, and to provide updates on political developments and the current situation related to Israel's war on Gaza.

Who was Ismail Haniyeh?

Haniyeh, born in 1962, was a Palestinian politician and Hamas leader who served as prime minister of the Palestinian Authority from 2006 to 2007. He was born in the Al-Shati refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. 

Haniyeh came from a Palestinian Arab family displaced from their village near Ashqelon in 1948. He grew up in the refugee camp and received his education from UNRWA schools.

In 1981, Haniyeh enrolled in the Islamic University of Gaza to study Arabic literature and was active in student politics. He even led a group associated with the Muslim Brotherhood.

When Hamas was formed in 1988, Haniyeh was among its youngest founding members and had close ties to Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Hamas' spiritual leader. That same year, he was arrested by Israeli authorities and imprisoned for six months for his role in the first intifada against the Israeli occupation.

In 1989, he was arrested again and deported to southern Lebanon in 1992 along with about 400 other Islamist activists. 

Haniyeh returned to Gaza in 1993 after the Oslo Accords and was later appointed dean of the Islamic University of Gaza.

Haniyeh’s reign as Hamas’ figurehead

Haniyeh began his Hamas leadership role in 1997 as personal secretary to Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. In 2003, they were the target of a failed assassination attempt and Yassin was killed several months later.

In 2006, Hamas won a majority of seats in the Palestinian legislative elections, with Haniyeh at the head of the candidate list, thus becoming Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority. This victory sparked an international backlash and frozen aid to the PA, causing financial difficulties for the governing body. 

In June 2007, after months of tension and armed conflict between Hamas and Fatah, President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah dismissed Haniyeh and dissolved his government. As a result, an autonomous Hamas-led government was formed in the Gaza Strip with Ismail Haniyeh as its leader. Afterward, Israel imposed various sanctions and restrictions on the territory, followed by Egypt.

In January 2008, following a series of rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip into Israel, the occupation tightened its blockade on the enclave. Hamas maintained control of the Gaza Strip and secured the release of over a thousand Palestinian detainees in exchange for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

By the summer of 2014, many Palestinians viewed favorably of Hamas' performance in the war with Israel, although the continued blockade worsened living conditions in Gaza. During this period, there were several attempts at reconciliation between Hamas and the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank.

In 2014, the Hamas government in Gaza resigned to make way for a unity government with Fatah, and Haniyeh relinquished his post as prime minister. 

Until 2017, Haniyeh remained the local leader of Hamas and was then replaced by Yahya Sinwar. Haniyeh was elected head of Hamas' political bureau a few months later, replacing Khaled Meshaal.

In December 2019, Haniyeh left the Gaza Strip to live in Türkiye and Qatar. This allows him to represent Hamas abroad.

During the ongoing Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip and fight with Hamas, Haniyeh led the Hamas delegation in negotiations mediated by Qatar and Egypt. In April 2024, amid a round of ceasefire negotiations, Haniyeh's three children and four grandchildren were killed in an Israeli strike.

In May 2024, the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor announced that he would seek arrest warrants for Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, and Hamas commander Mohammed Deif, as well as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

RIZKI DEWI AYU | BRITANNICA | TEMPO.CO

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