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.

• In 2006, during the Pope Benedict XVI Islam controversy, Haniyeh condemned the Pope’s remarks about Islam as false and harsh. He also condemned attacks on churches in the West Bank and Gaza by Palestinians.

• In August 2006, during his first visit abroad as prime minister to Iran, Haniyeh said Hamas would never recognize Israel and would keep fighting until Jerusalem was liberated.

• 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, Ismail Haniyeh 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 Ismail Haniyeh. Abbas then ruled Gaza and the West Bank under presidential law.

• In 2009, his family lived in the Al-Shati refugee camp in northern Gaza.

• In 2010, Ismail Haniyeh bought a 2,500-square-meter (0.6-acre) plot in Rimal, a Gaza City beachfront neighbourhood, and registered it in his son-in-law’s name. He also bought other homes registered under his children’s names.

• On 2 May 2011, after US forces killed Osama bin Laden, Haniyeh called bin Laden an “Arab holy warrior” and condemned the killing as more American oppression of Muslims and Arabs while Fatah praised the killing. Reportedly, Haniyeh’s remarks aimed to ease tensions with Al-Qaeda-inspired groups in Gaza and appeal to an Arab audience against Fatah and anti-American sentiment.

• Haniyeh’s sisters, Kholidia, Laila, and Sabah, are Israeli citizens living in the Bedouin town of Tel as-Sabi in southern Israel. Kholidia moved there first, followed by her two sisters. Laila and Sabah are widowed but remain in Tel as-Sabi to keep their Israeli citizenship.

• Some children of Haniyeh’s sisters have served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

• In 2012, Israeli authorities allowed Haniyeh’s sister, Suhila, and her ill husband to travel for emergency heart treatment in Israel. After successful treatment, they returned to Gaza.

• His granddaughter was treated in an Israeli hospital in November 2013, and his mother-in-law in June 2014.
  

  Haniyeh with his granddaughter in an Israeli hospital in November 2013

• In October 2014, after the 2014 Israel–Gaza War, his daughter spent a week in an Israeli hospital in Tel Aviv for emergency treatment.

• According to a 2014 news article, Ismail Haniyeh became a millionaire from a 20% tax on items entering Gaza through tunnels from Egypt.

• On 23 March 2014, at a festival for Sheik Ahmad Yassin’s assassination, Haniyeh said that Hamas would not recognize Israel and complained about the tightening Gaza blockade. The crowd supported Hamas and called for attacks on Tel Aviv.

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

• In September 2016, Ismail Haniyeh left Gaza with his wife and two sons for the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. This trip was seen as the start of his campaign to replace Mashaal.

• 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 2020, Ismail Haniyeh attended Qassim Suleimani’s funeral in Tehran, Iran.

• 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, Ismail Haniyeh and Mahmoud Abbas united against the Israel-UAE normalization agreement.

• In 2023, a Saudi newspaper, Ilaa, published an article titled “Moaz Haniyeh – a life of extravagance, alcohol and women” about one of Haniyeh’s sons.

• On 26 July 2023, Ismail Haniyeh 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, Ismail 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, Ismail 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, Ismail 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 Ismail Haniyeh would defeat Mahmoud Abbas in a presidential election but would lose to Marwan Barghouti.

• His sons control the real estate industry in Gaza. His son Abdel Salam was once criticized for transferring funds to his account as part of his role as the sports ambassador in the Shura Council of Hamas.

• Egyptian authorities once arrested Haniyeh’s eldest son at the Rafah Border Crossing with several million dollars intended for Gaza.

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