Ismail Haniya, leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement, is once again in the spotlight after the Palestinian group’s militias have Israel attacked with 2,200 rockets at the same time that dozens of militiamen managed to infiltrate enemy territory. But who is Haniya?
The current Hamas leader, re-elected in August 2021 after serving since 2017, was born in 1932 in the Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City. After being detained on several occasions by the Israeli army, in 1992 he was deported to southern Lebanon along with other leaders of the movement and some 400 activists. His membership in the Islamist organization even led him to suffer an airstrike in 2003 along with the founder and spiritual leader of Hamas, Ahmed Yassin, in an attempt by Israel to eliminate the group’s two senior officials.
Dose of moderation
Still, it was not until January 2006, the year in which Hamas won the Palestinian legislative elections, that Haniya began to gain popularity. He stood out, above all, for exhibiting a dose of moderation as he is “one of the politicians most open to dialogue with Israel within the Islamist organization.”
The victory led to him taking office as Palestinian prime minister, although not for long. He was fired in 2007 by president and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, although he continued to rule the Gaza Strip after taking control of it that same year.
Ismail was re-elected in August 2021 as leader of Hamas, a position he had held since May 2017. The General Shura Council opted to renew his mandate and maintain Saleh al Arouri as vice president.
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