The head of the political bureau of Hamas, who was killed in Tehran, lived an extravagant life from the money donated to his people in Gaza for food, medicine, education, children, rehabilitation. The more distressed his people were, the more millions he could raise for them and allocate a significant portion of them to his private pocket and to those around him in the Hamas leadership
In the last decade of his life, Haniyeh lived in hotels in Qatar and Turkey, used to fly in private planes and according to the German newspaper “Bild” his fortune was estimated at 2.5 billion dollars. Various estimates stated that his fortune was even higher. Was he a successful businessman? No! Heir of a rich family? No! He simply robbed the donations of the poor of his people, as if they were meant for him personally.
Haniyeh (62) was born in 1962 in the Shati refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, a member of a low-income refugee family from the village of Jura near Ashkelon. During his studies at the Islamic University in Gaza, he became active in the Islamic movement.
After the release of Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin from Israeli prison in 1997, Haniyeh was appointed his personal assistant. In this position, Haniyeh began to establish his political status. His personal closeness to the organization’s leader helped him strengthen his authority vis-à-vis Hamas operatives.
He had little intention of interfering with the organization’s terrorist activities and the alleged social activities, through the establishment and operation of charitable associations and education and health systems, he could control a lot of liquid money and cash that he has no control over.
In March 2004, following a series of terrorist attacks, Israel announced the release of the blood of the leaders of the organization. On March 22 of the same year, Ahmed Yassin was assassinated, and a month later his successor in leadership was assassinated – Dr. Abd al-Aziz al-Rantisi. Also, several other personalities in the leadership of the organization were eliminated. The elimination of most of the Hamas leadership left Haniyeh as one of the most prominent figures in the terrorist organization in Gaza and the territories of Judea and Samaria, and he could do whatever he wanted.
Ahead of the elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council in January 2006, Haniyeh was appointed head of the Hamas list in the elections and nominated for Prime Minister, among other things due to his avoidance of overt terrorist activities. After the victory of Hamas in the elections, the chairman of the Palestinian Authority, Abu Mazen, blamed the intention to form the new Palestinian government.
The Hamas government and its leader were boycotted by most of the countries of the Western world (a boycott led by the State of Israel). This move considerably reduced the flow of funds from those countries to the Palestinian Authority, and resulted in a severe damage to the standard of living of the Palestinian residents in the territories of Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip. At the same time, the residents suffered from the destabilization of the government as a result of a confrontation that gradually intensified between Hamas and Fatah (which sought to preserve its position in the Palestinian leadership), and reached violent clashes.
In 2007, Palestinian Authority President Abu Mazen decided to fire Haniyeh from the position of Prime Minister, following fierce clashes. Hamas refused to accept the decision and Haniyeh continued to control the Strip.
In 2017, Yahya Sinwar was elected the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip and replaced Haniyeh, who moved to live in Doha, the capital of Qatar, and lives an extravagant lifestyle.
His children – Maaz and Abdel Salam, have been documented many times spending time in prestigious hotels in Istanbul and Doha. Maaz is particularly known for his flamboyant lifestyle, as evidenced by the jewelry he purchased in stores in the Gaza Strip and Qatar. The two were recorded on Instagram in hotels in Istanbul and Doha. In the Saudi newspaper “Ilaaf” an article was published about one of the boys, titled: “Maaz Haniyeh – a life of extravagance, alcohol and women”. His brother Abdel Salam was denounced after it was discovered that he transferred funds to his account as part of his role as the sports ambassador in the Shura Council of Hamas.
At the end of last year, the IDF spokesman revealed further evidence of the depth of corruption of senior Hamas officials and the class gaps between the leadership and the people. During the IDF’s ground operations in the Gaza Strip, documents and receipts for the purchase of luxury jewelry totaling thousands of dollars were seized by one of Haniyeh’s sons. The amount of money shown on one receipt is equivalent to almost two years’ salary for the average Gazan resident.
Ismail Haniyeh’s sons dominate the real estate industry in Gaza. They also have electrical generators with which they sell electricity to the residents of Gaza, while they receive it for free. In Gaza it is said that the sons of Haniyeh are considered alcoholics and revelers, who usually party in the most luxurious clubs accompanied by women who are not their wives.
After Israel announced that none of the Hamas leaders were immune, Haniyeh realized that his stay in Doha, the capital of Qatar, could lead to the end of his life. He moved between Qatar and Turkey, and at some point at the beginning of the war it was revealed that he intended to go to Iran.
Israel probably did not want to eliminate him when he was in a country with which it has diplomatic relations and thereby not embarrass it and hence, as soon as he moved to Iran, he was eliminated through the Mossad, the long arm of the State of Israel.
It would be good if his inheritance of billions went to the residents of Gaza, because his money belongs to them and was predestined to be theirs
