Explained | Who was Ismail Haniyeh? Hamas leader who masterminded attack on Israel, while sitting in Doha

It was Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh who reportedly ordered the recent surprise assault on Israelis which soon turned into a full-blown war with thousands dead. What brought Haniyeh to the spotlight yet again was a viral video that started circulating on social media where the Hamas leader was seen watching the assault on Israel from his comfortable office, reportedly in Doha.

Some reports said that Haniyeh's move to lay this big an assault on Israel, widely recognised for having a robust and highly effective defence system, could be because of his ties with Iran and Qatar. So who was this man whose directions sitting in a different country have rattled Israel's strong defence capabilities? 

First off, Haniyeh was quite rich. Reports suggest that it comes from the 20 per cent tax charged on all things entering through burrows from Egypt to the Gaza Strip. Haniyeh, was leading an extravagant way of life in Qatar, which many reports say was lending its support to Hamas. 

Ismail Haniyeh was born on January 29, 1962, in the Shati exile camp in the Gaza Strip. His childhood was spent in a refugee camp. He grew up seeing how Palestinians continued looking for statehood against the backdrop of its long-standing conflict with Israel.

He did his schooling in establishments overseen by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

He concentrated on Arabic literature at the Islamic University of Gaza and became engaged with Hamas while at college.

He has likewise been engaged with the Muslim Brotherhood and was head of the students' council representing the Muslim Brotherhood while at college. 

Haniyeh's links with Hamas started in the mid-1990s. He rose through the positions of Hamas. Haniyeh's initiatives during the Second Intifada brought him to the front of Palestinian issues.

Also Read | Gaza student speaks to WION: People walking 30km to escape Israel attack, many camping at hospital

The Second Intifada was a period of intensified Palestinian-Israeli conflict that began in September 2000 and continued for several years. 

After democratic elections in the Palestinian territories, Ismail Haniyeh became Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority in 2006. 

On June 14, 2007, President Mahmoud Abbas removed Haniyeh from his position during the peak of the Fatah-Hamas conflict. However, Haniyeh did not recognize the decree and continued to wield the powers of the prime minister in the Gaza Strip.

There was a struggle under the surface among Hamas and its opponent, Fatah, which controlled the West Bank. This inner difficulty swelled into a brutal showdown in 2007, prompting the ejection of Fatah powers from Gaza.

By September 2016, there were indications in reports that Haniyeh would succeed Khaled Mashal as the head of Hamas's Political Bureau. He was duly elected as the Chief of Hamas's Political Bureau on May 6, 2017.

Besides, Haniyeh and Hamas have been associated with clashes with Israel, including different military showdowns that have brought about the death toll and broad obliteration in the Gaza Strip.

Haniyeh has been captured by Israeli authorities on different occasions for his association with the Palestinian uprising against Israel.

Two former senior US officials have recently called for military action against Hamas supposedly being given a place of refuge in Doha. They said that a military move must be made if Qatari authorities do not hand the Hamas leaders over to the US or Israel.

Mark Wallace, a former U.S. representative to the United Nations and head of the New York-based United Against Nuclear Iran said that the Hamas leaders “are operating in plain sight and within reach in the hands of our purported major non-NATO ally Qatar." 

“We should not hesitate to act militarily on Qatari soil to bring to justice Ismail Haniyeh and Hamas leadership,” Wallace added.

The loss of life since Hamas sent off its terrorists within Israeli territories on Saturday (Oct 7) has been thousands in numbers. 

As the death toll and atrocities on innocent civilians continue, Hamas boss Ismail Haniyeh said that the issue of prisoner swap will be handled after the war finishes.

Hinting at the negotiating country Qatar, the Hamas leader said that the “parties that have contacted us” and offered mediation through a prisoner swap but the militant group has voiced their choice to them. 

Haniyeh also lauded the Gazans' perseverance and eagerness to forfeit themselves for the Palestinian reason. He has been engaged with Hamas and Fatah, as well as with other Palestinian factions. These are meant to address any political division that has impeded Palestinian goals for statehood. 

The leadership of Haniyeh within Hamas is playing a significant role in the ongoing Israeli-Hamas war. As the war situation undergoes continuous transformation, the world is closely monitoring Ismail Haniyeh's role in facilitating reconciliation, something which right now seems to be an out-of-reach prospect. 

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.