Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated on Wednesday. [Picture: ABC News]
Much honour was showered upon Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh after news of his assassination spread throughout the globe. He was remembered as a man who stood for his cause and paid the price.
On Wednesday night, sympathisers told Salaamedia’s Inayet Wadee of a man who commanded great respect among those backing the Palestinian cause. This was regardless of their political affiliation, said Lina Abojaradeh, speaking out of Jordan.
“No matter your political affiliation, everyone has a great, deep respect for this leader. Especially how humble he was in really bearing the brunt and being super patient, even when his grandkids were targeted during Eid, even when his own kids were targeted,” she said.
Haniyeh was killed on Wednesday in an airstrike on his accommodation in Tehran, Iran, where he was visiting as a guest at that country’s presidential inauguration.
SMread: Hamas chief assassinated in Iran
The incident drew sharp condemnation from leaders in the region, some of whom have hinted at Israel’s involvement. His funeral procession was underway in the Iranian capital at the time of writing.
But Abojaradeh, an activist, said martyrdom was sometimes the price for fighting for liberation, and nobody was reluctant to pay it.
“This is something that they all expect. This is something that they know is on the path to liberation. These are people that are kind of being honoured by God through this martyrdom. This is really proof of their sincerity to the Palestinian cause,” she said.
While Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, hailed the assassination of a Hezbollah commander in Lebanon – on the same day – she said the killing of senior figures would not dampen the spirits of Palestinians.
“It’s not going to stop Palestinians. It’s not going to make us despair or make us feel like because this one person was assassinated that somehow something has changed. This will fuel us and make us even stronger.”
[WATCH] “You wake up and you feel like the world is kind of not the same anymore,” remarks Lina Abojaradeh, an activist an artist, as she joins many in mourning the loss of Ismail Haniyeh. #Palestine #Haniyeh pic.twitter.com/G7Oyu54kX1
— Salaamedia (@salaamedia) August 1, 2024
