‘Don’t Appeal to the Arabs’ – Bereaved Wife of Ismail Haniyeh’s Son Speaks at His Funeral

Another iconic reaction was that of the wife of Hazem, one of Haniyeh’s assassinated children.

Apr. 11. 2024

Hazem Ismail Haniyeh is the son of former Palestinian Prime Minister and the current leader of the political bureau of the Hamas Resistance movement.

He was assassinated with two of his brothers and a number of their children on the first day of the Muslim holiday, Eid Al-Fitr in Shati refugee camp, in northern Gaza.

The family was taking part in the holiday celebrations and were reportedly traveling in a car, on their way to greet other family members in the area.

They were all struck by Israeli missiles and drones, killing them instantly.

Ismail Haniyeh learned about the demise of his family during a visit to wounded Palestinian children who made it to Qatari hospitals in Doha.

Haniyeh’s reaction to the news is celebrated by Palestinians as the qualities of a true Palestinian leader, and is being compared to the attitude and language of current Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, seen by most Palestinians as a collaborator with Israel.

Another iconic reaction was that of the wife of Hazem, one of Haniyeh’s assassinated children, which has been shared widely on social media and cited by Al-Jazeera.

What Did Ismail Haniyeh Say?

My children “stayed with our people in Gaza and did not leave the Strip,” Hanyeh was quoted by Al-Jazeera as saying.

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“All our people and all the families of Gaza residents have paid a heavy price with the blood of their children, and I am one of them,” he said, adding that at least 60 members of his family were killed in the ongoing genocidal war.

“The occupation believes that by targeting the sons of leaders, it will break the resolve of our people,” he said, adding:

“We say to the occupation that this blood will only make us more steadfast in our principles and attachment to our land.”

“The enemy will not succeed in their goals and the castles will not fall. What the enemy failed to extract through killing, destruction, and genocide, they will not take in negotiations,” Haniyeh added.

What Did Hazem’s Wife Say?

Hazem’s wife also had a powerful message of her own.

“Give your greetings to all the martyrs,” Hazem’s wife said, while bidding farewell to her husband and children.

“We are among the patient (of God’s creations). I offered you to Allah, and may Allah (aid) me in my calamity.

“They failed (the Israelis) because Hazem lives. He did not die,” she continued.

Her most poignant message, however, was addressed to the Arab countries, which are not showing tangible support for the people of Gaza, despite six months of genocidal Israeli war.

“No one should appeal to the Arabs. They are the ones who need us; we don’t need them. They are the dead, and we are the living. You are the living and they are the dead,” she said, while touching the bodies of her husband and children.

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“May Allah have mercy on you, Abu Amr (her husband),” she concluded, in a final message to her slain husband.

“Your Eid is in heaven, my dear.”

Who is Ismail Haniyeh?

Haniyeh, who was born in the Shati refugee camp in 1962, was the head of the Hamas list that won the Palestinian legislative elections of 2006, and so became Prime Minister of the State of Palestine.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Haniyeh from office in June 2007.

Haniyeh was the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip from 2006 until February 2017, when he was replaced by Yahya Sinwar.

On May 6, 2017, he was elected chairman of Hamas’ Political Bureau, replacing Khaled Mashaa,l and relocated from Gaza to Qatar.

Staggering Death Toll

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 33,545 Palestinians have been killed, and 76,094 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.

Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

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Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.

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