This Ghazi is a mystery to you, Those whom You have pardoned, O God.
THE voice of the oppressed Muslims of Palestine, the martyrdom of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, is not only a loss for Hamas and Palestine but also an irreparable loss for the entire Muslim Ummah. Ismail Haniyeh, who crushed the pride of the “invincible powers,” enlightened the world with the true meaning of Tawheed “Allahu Akbar.” Ismail Haniyeh was among the leaders of Hamas whose entire families fought and made sacrifices for the liberation of Palestine. Since October 7, 2023, the enemies of Islam brutally martyred 70 members of his family, including his mother, three sons, one daughter, two brothers, two sisters, nieces and nephews, to demoralize him. But his determination and independence did not waver.
At the time of the attack, Ismail Haniyeh was in Tehran for the newly elected president’s ceremony. He was martyred along with a guard in a missile attack using American technology, suggesting Israeli-American collaboration. The American Secretary of Defence, Lloyd Austin, stated that the U.S. would defend Israel if attacked, while the Secretary of State expressed ignorance about the incident. The Israeli government spokesperson refused to comment. Two and a half months earlier, Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi’s helicopter accident, initially suspected to be an Israeli conspiracy, was later declared an accident by Iran. Iran’s reluctance to blame Israel now raises further questions about the incident.
According to European observer Elijah Magnier, Israeli spy software was used to target Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated after a call with his son revealed his location. Haniyeh’s son, Abdus Salam, stated that Israel and the United States are responsible for his father’s murder. Israel has a history of killing Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, having carried out targeted operations against PLO leaders, Hamas leaders, Iranian army commanders and Hezbollah commanders. While Israel has acknowledged some of these killings, it has not claimed responsibility for others. Haniyeh’s assassination adds to the long list of Israeli target killings. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei says that it is Tehran’s duty to take revenge for Haniyeh’s murder. Red flags have been raised in Iran, symbolizing the spirit of revenge. Hamas spokesman Musa Mazrouq condemned the martyrdom of Ismail Haniyeh as a cowardly act by Israel, vowing that Haniyeh’s death will be avenged and their sacrifice will not be in vain. Hamas declared its readiness to pay any price to liberate Jerusalem from Israel.
Pakistan has also strongly condemned the killing of Ismail Haniya. According to the spokesman of the Foreign Office, Pakistan condemns any extra-judicial and extra-territorial border terrorism and is deeply surprised at the timing of this attack. Sheikh Ismail Haniya, a ruler and history-maker who was very popular among the people due to his courage and bravery, centered his struggle on Hamas. Ismail Haniyeh’s entire life was spent fighting against the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and there was never an instance where he faltered. The greatest achievement of Hamas is that it created a determined generation of faith, whose “Book of Life” does not contain expressions like “fear, defeat, humiliation, cowardice, self-surrender,” and misguided wisdom and interests.
Ismail Haniyeh was born in 1962 in the Shatti refugee camp in the west of Gaza City. He received a degree in Arabic literature from the Islamic University in 1987 and was later awarded an honorary doctorate in 2009. He was a young founding member of Hamas when it was established in 1988. In 1997, he became the personal secretary of the spiritual leader of Hamas, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. After being arrested again in 1992, Ismail Haniyeh was deported to Lebanon but returned to Gaza the following year after the Oslo Accords. In 2006, after Hamas gained a majority in the Palestinian elections, Ismail Haniyeh was appointed Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority. This government could not last long due to differences between Hamas and Fatah, but Hamas maintained control in Gaza. In 2017, he replaced Khalid Meshaal as the head of Hamas and participated in peace talks multiple times.
A few hours ago, Israeli warplanes attacked Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, killing three people, including two children, and injuring 74. Hezbollah commander Fawad Shukar, who was also a military adviser to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in the attack. The target was Fawad Shukar, whose head had a $5 million bounty by the United States. The systematic plan to kill Ismail Haniyeh on Iranian soil reflects the nefarious ambitions of the Hindus and Jews who want to spread the Palestinian war to the entire region. The situation in the Middle East has become even more serious.
After the martyrdom of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political wing of Hamas, the UN Security Council convened an emergency meeting. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described Israel’s attacks on Beirut and Tehran as a “dangerous escalation” of tensions. An emergency meeting of the Security Council was called at the request of representatives from Iran, Russia, China and Algeria. It is hoped that the Muslims will be heard in the UNO, otherwise, it will be the usual sitting, talking and dismissing. The moment to think is that Israel is constantly targeting Muslim countries and leaders one by one. How long will we continue to bear the martyrdom of our children, youths, elders and women? Condemnation statements are not the solution. Various forums and armies such as the OIC Forum, the army of Muslim countries and the Arab League must take action.
—The writer is contributing columnist.
