Gaza Herald – Two years after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the former head of Hamas’s Political Bureau and a former Palestinian prime minister, Palestinians continue to commemorate one of the movement’s most prominent political figures. Haniyeh was killed in Tehran on 31 July 2024 in an operation widely attributed to Israel while attending the inauguration ceremony of Iran’s newly elected president.
Born in 1962 in the Shati (Beach) refugee camp in Gaza to a family displaced from the village of Al-Jura during the 1948 war, Haniyeh became active in student politics while studying Arabic literature at the Islamic University of Gaza. During the First Intifada, he was repeatedly detained by Israel and later deported to Marj al-Zohour in southern Lebanon alongside hundreds of Palestinian activists before returning to Gaza.
Haniyeh later served as a close aide to Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder of Hamas, before rising to senior leadership positions within the movement. Following Hamas’s victory in the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections, he became Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, leading the government during a period marked by political divisions, international sanctions and the Israeli blockade on Gaza.
In 2017, Haniyeh was elected head of Hamas’s Political Bureau, succeeding Khaled Meshaal, and was re-elected in 2021. During his tenure, he led the movement through several rounds of conflict, diplomatic engagements and negotiations involving regional mediators, while remaining one of Hamas’s most recognizable political representatives internationally.
Throughout his public career, Haniyeh consistently advocated Hamas’s political positions, emphasizing resistance to Israeli occupation, Palestinian national rights and the importance of Palestinian unity. His speeches frequently focused on the issues of Jerusalem, refugees, self-determination, and the broader Palestinian national struggle.
Haniyeh also experienced significant personal loss during the war in Gaza. In April 2024, three of his sons were killed in an Israeli air self-determination,ong with several other members of his extended family. Following their killings, he publicly stated that their sacrifice was part of the broader sacrifices endured by the Palestinian people.
His assassination in Tehran on 31 July 2024 marked a significant moment in the Israeli war, drawing reactions from governments, regional actors and Palestinian factions. Hamas described his killing as an assassination of one of its senior leaders.
Two years later, Haniyeh remains a highly influential and controversial figure in the history of the Palestinian national movement. Supporters remember him as a central political leader during a defining period for Gaza and Hamas, while his role continues to be viewed differently across the international community because of Hamas’s designation by numerous countries as a terrorist organization.
