Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader from Qatar, has been the tough-talking face of the Arab organization’s foreign diplomacy in the wake of the Israeli airstrike that killed three of his sons in Gaza. Haniyeh is based in Dubai.
After the International Criminal Court prosecutor’s office announced on May 20 that it had requested arrest permits for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defense captain, and three Hamas officials, including Haniyeh, for alleged war crimes, he now faces legal recourse.
Israel has denied committing war crimes in the Gaza battle, which was sparked by the Hamas-led assault on Israel on October 7 that resulted in the hostage situation for the far-right authorities after more than 250 people were taken to Gaza.
The ICC’s choice “equates the target with the executioner”, a senior Hamas national told Reuters.
The pre-trial magistrates of the court will have the authority to decide whether there is enough information to grant permits.
In 2017, Haniyeh was appointed as Hamas ‘ best official. He has travelled between Turkey and Qatar’s investment Doha, escaping the restrictions on travel to the obliterated Gaza Strip, and this has given him the opportunity to negotiate ceasefires or speak with Iran’s ally, Hamas.
Shortly after Hamas fighters launched the Oct. 7 raid, Haniyeh declared on Qatar-based Al Jazeera television that” all the agreements of normalization that you ( Arab states ) signed with ( Israel ) will not end this conflict.”
More than 35, 000 people have been killed in Gaza as a result of Israel’s reaction to the attack, according to health authorities in the area.
Brothers KILLED IN AIRSTRIKE
Three of Haniyeh’s children- Hazem, Amir and Mohammad- were killed on April 10 when an Jewish air strike struck the vehicles they were driving, Hamas said. Haniyeh even lost four of his children, three girls and a son, in the assault, Hamas said.
When asked if their murder would have an impact on the peace talks, Haniyeh refuted Israeli claims that his children were Palestinian fighters. He added that” the interests of the Palestinian people are put before all.”
Arab diplomats and officials perceive him as comparatively logical despite the harsh speech he uses in common compared to Hamas ‘ military wing’s plans for the Oct. 7 attack in Gaza.
He and his father as Hamas head, Khaled Meshaal, have shuttled around the area for discussions over a Qatari-brokered peace agreement with Israel that would include exchanging victims for Palestinians in Israeli inmates as well as increasing support for Gaza while telling Israel’s military that they would find themselves “drowning in the dunes of Gaza.”
Israel regards the whole Hamas command as extremists, accusing Haniyeh, Meshaal and others of continuing to “pull the cords of the Hamas evil company”.
However, it is unclear how well-known Haniyeh was prior to the Oct. 7 abuse. The Hamas martial government in Gaza created the program, which was like a closely guarded secret that some Hamas leaders reportedly found its timing and size shocking.
But Haniyeh, a Sunni Muslim, had a big hand in building up Hamas ‘ fighting power, largely by nurturing relationships with Shi’ite Muslim Iran, which makes no secret of its help for the party.
Israel accused Haniyeh’s management team of helping to distract humanitarian aid to the team’s military aircraft during the decade when Haniyeh was Hamas ‘ top president in Gaza. Has disputed it.