Ismail Haniyeh Age, Death, Wife, Children, Family, Biography

Some Lesser Known Facts About Ismail Haniyeh

• His parents were refugees from Askalan, which is now called Ashkelon in Israel.

• When Ismail Haniyeh was young, he worked in Israel to help his family. He served as the leader of the students’ council for the Muslim Brotherhood from 1985 to 1986.

• He was a midfielder on the Islamic Association’s football team.

• When Ismail Haniyeh was pursuing his graduation, the First Intifada began, and he joined protests against Israel. During this time, he was imprisoned by an Israeli military court.

• After he was released from jail in 1992, he was deported to Lebanon by Israeli authorities along with other Hamas leaders and activists. They stayed in Marj al-Zahour, southern Lebanon, for over a year and gained global attention.

• Ismail Haniyeh returned to Gaza a year later and became the dean of the Islamic University.

• After Israel released Ahmed Yassin, a Palestinian politician and founder of Hamas, from prison in 1997, Haniyeh was made the head of Yassin’s office.
  

  An old picture of Ismail Haniyeh with Ahmed Yassin

• Haniyeh’s importance in Hamas grew because of his close relationship with Ahmed Yassin, and he became the representative of the Palestinian Authority.

• His role in Hamas became stronger during the Second Intifada due to his connection with Yassin and the assassinations of many Hamas leaders by Israeli forces.

• During this time, the Israel Defense Forces targeted Haniyeh for his alleged role in attacks on Israeli citizens.

• In 2003, after a suicide bombing in Jerusalem, Ismail Haniyeh was little injured by an Israeli Air Force bomb attack aimed at the Hamas leadership.

• In December 2005, he was elected to lead the Hamas. It won the Legislative Council elections in January 2006.

• Haniyeh was nominated as prime minister on 16 February 2006 after Hamas won the election on 25 January 2006.
  

  Ismail Haniyeh while talking to the media after he met with Egyptian officials in Gaza City in February 2006

• He was officially presented to President Mahmoud Abbas on 20 February and was sworn in on 29 March 2006. He agreed with Abbas to cancel new elections, but on 20 October 2006, the night before this deal, Haniyeh’s convoy was attacked in Gaza. One car was set on fire, but Haniyeh was not hurt.

• Hamas said the attack was not an assassination attempt, while Palestinian Authority security sources claimed that the attackers were relatives of a man, who was killed in clashes with Hamas and was associated with Fatah, a Palestinian nationalist and social democratic political party.

• On 14 December 2006, during the Fatah-Hamas conflict, Ismail Haniyeh was denied entry to Gaza from Egypt at the Rafah Border Crossing.

• He resigned from his position on 15 February 2007 to form a national unity government between Hamas and Fatah.

• On 18 March 2007, he formed a new government with both Hamas and Fatah politicians.
  

  Ismail Haniyeh after forming a new government with both Hamas and Fatah politicians

• On 14 June 2007, during the Battle of Gaza, President Mahmoud Abbas dissolved the unity government, declared a state of emergency, and dismissed Haniyeh. Abbas then ruled Gaza and the West Bank under presidential law.

• In 2016, Haniyeh moved from Gaza to Qatar and owned an office in Doha.

• On 13 October 2016, the Palestinian Legislative Council’s Legal Committee supported bringing Haniyeh’s government back to Gaza. Haniyeh replaced Khaled Mashaal as the leader of Hamas in the 2016 elections. He then moved to Doha for his new role, as Hamas leaders usually live outside Gaza.

• In 2018, the U.S. listed Haniyeh as a global terrorist.

• In February 2020, he met with Turkish President Erdoğan. Their meeting was criticized by the U.S.
  

  Ismail Haniyeh during a meeting with Turkish President Erdoğan

• In August 2020, Haniyeh and Mahmoud Abbas united against the Israel-UAE normalization agreement.

• On 26 July 2023, he held a meeting with Erdoğan and Abbas to support Turkey’s efforts to reconcile Fatah and Hamas.
  

  Ismail Haniyeh with with Erdoğan and Mahmoud Abbas

• On 7 October 2023, during the Hamas attack on Israel, Haniyeh was in Istanbul, Turkey. He gave a televised address mentioning threats to the Al-Aqsa mosque, the Israeli blockade of Gaza, and the struggles of Palestinian refugees. He said Israel could not protect itself or other Arab countries. He added that the normalization agreements would not solve the Palestinian conflict.

• On 10 October 2023, Haniyeh said Hamas would not release Israeli prisoners until the war ended, highlighting the Palestinian commitment to their cause.

• On 15 October 2023, it was reported that Turkey asked Haniyeh to leave, but Turkey denied the news. He later met with Iran’s Foreign Minister in Doha.
  

  Ismail Haniyeh with Iran’s Foreign Minister in Doha

• On 16 October 2023, Haniyeh and Turkey’s Foreign Minister discussed releasing hostages.

• On 21 October 2023, he talked with Turkey’s President about the Israel-Hamas war.

• On 1 November 2023, Haniyeh accused Israel of cruel massacres after an attack on the Jabalia refugee camp and pledged to keep fighting for Palestinian rights.
  

  A picture of the Jabalia refugee camp, which was destroyed after an airstrike by Israel

• On 2 November 2023, he said in the media that he was ready for political negotiations for a two-state solution if Israel agreed to a ceasefire. He also mentioned the suffering of Israeli prisoners.

• An opinion poll on 13 December 2023 showed that Haniyeh would defeat Mahmoud Abbas in a presidential election but would lose to Marwan Barghouti.

• In October 2023, an Israeli airstrike on Haniyeh’s family home in Gaza City killed fourteen family members, including his brother and nephew.