After Hamas leader’s death in Iran, Palestinians pay tribute in Ramallah

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran in a strike blamed on Israel. In Ramallah, in the West Bank, residents took to the streets to denounce his death and pay tribute to him.

There were Palestinian flags, green ones, those of Hamas, and portraits of Ismail Haniyeh in the streets of Ramallah, Wednesday, July 31, following the announcement of the death of the head of Hamas’ political bureau. A handful of demonstrators had gathered in al-Manara Square, in tribute to the Palestinian leader. The head of Hamas’ political bureau since 2017 was killed on the night of Tuesday, July 30 to Wednesday, July 31, in Tehran, Iran, where he was attending the inauguration of the new Iranian president. A “assassination” denounced by the Islamist movement, but also by certain Palestinians who have called for a national strike.

While Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack, suspicion has fallen on the Jewish state. Hamas has denounced a “treacherous Zionist raid” And “a serious escalation”. For some protesters in Ramallah, it was also a targeted assassination, far from the first since the war began on October 7. “The Israeli occupation believes that by assassinating the leaders of the resistance, it will deal a blow to their ability to functionAhmad believes.

“This is not the first time that Palestinian leaders have been killed in this way.”

Ahmad, a Palestinian protester

to franceinfo

“But on the contrary, the resistance was nourished by it, it grew, it multiplied and it had even more power. This is what happened in the past and this is probably what will happen after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh.”

For many, the head of Hamas’s political bureau was seen as one of the most pragmatic compared to other leaders of the Islamist movement. He was a popular figure for Palestinians, according to Sheikh Maher al-Kharraz, a Hamas affiliate in Nablus, in the West Bank. “Rest in peace Ismail Haniyeh. He is a very precious person, a human being, and a great leader for the Palestinian people,” says this member of the Islamist movement.

“He sacrificed himself for the Palestinian cause, and he also lost a lot of family members in that war. So it was kind of the expected end for him, to end up as a martyr.”

Maher al-Kharraz, Hamas affiliate in Nablus

to franceinfo

For many, even if Benjamin Netanyahu emerges politically victorious, it will be far from being a victory for Israel, particularly concerning the negotiations between the two belligerents. “Ismail Haniyeh was a seasoned politician, he had influence over all Palestinian factions and sought to end the Israeli occupation and this war,”assures Maher al-Kharraz.

And while international attention has focused since October 7 on the exiled leaders of Hamas, it is mainly from the tunnels of Gaza that the Islamist organization continues to be commanded.