Ismail Haniyeh

Sergei Lavrov in Moscow Meets with Hamas Delegation led by Ismail Haniyeh

Ismail Abdel Salam Ahmed Haniyeh is chairman of the Hamas politburo.

Attack on Israel October 7, 2023

Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh calls for 'Blood' of 'Women, Children, and Elderly'

Translated by MEMRI.,

On October 26, 2023, Chairman of the Hamas politburo (a Soviet term) Isamil Haniyeh called for Israeli civilian "blood", and referred to Israel's response to the terror attack on Oct 7, 2023 as the "new Holocaust" during a speech aired by Lebanon’s Al-Mayadeen television.

Isamil Haniyeh: "I have said this before, and I say it time again: The blood of the women, children, and elderly… I am not saying that this blood is calling for your [help]. We are the ones who need this blood, so it awakens within us the revolutionary spirit, so it awakens within us resolve, so it awakens within us the spirit of challenge, and [pushes us] to move forward."

[...]

"I call on everybody – all the free people of the world, all the friendly countries, all the brotherly [Arab] countries, and all the allies – to exert all the necessary pressure, in all directions and in all forums, in order to end the aggression against Gaza, to stop this war against our children, women, and elderly, our mosques, our universities, and our homes. This brutal aggression must stop. This new holocaust must stop.

Israel’s demise is “inevitable,” said Ismail Haniyeh, and therefore preparations must be made for the “post-occupation” phase.

2022: Ismail Haniyeh Leads Hamas Delegation to Moscow

In September, 2022, "Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’s political bureau, his deputy Saleh al-Arouri and bureau members Moussa Abu Marzouq and Maher Salah paid an official visit to Moscow at the invitation of the Russian Foreign Ministry. The Hamas men met with several Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his deputy Mikhail Bogdanov. The delegation members emphasized their support for Moscow’s positions on several issues, while Russian officials expressed their support for Hamas, according to a report by MEMRI.,

2020: Ismail Haniyeh Leads Hamas Delegation to Moscow

Ismail Haniyeh led a Hamas delegation to Moscow on March 2, 2020, where he met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Ismail Haniyeh said that Russia has a long history of backing Hamas. From Press TV:,

"During a visit to Russia, the head of the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement’s political bureau has praised Moscow for defending Palestinian rights and dismissing a pro-Israel proposal devised by the US on the Middle East conflict.

At a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Monday, Ismail Haniyeh said that Russia has a long history of backing the Palestinian cause.

According to a press release on the Hamas website, Haniyeh “thanked Russia for supporting the Palestinian rights at different regional and international platforms.”

“He also expressed his appreciation to Russia for its position towards [US President Donald] Trump’s deal, as rejecting the deal comes in line with the consensual stance of the Palestinian people,” it added.

Trump released his self-proclaimed “deal of the century” during an event at the White House alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on January 28.

The so-called ‘Vision for Peace’ bars Palestinian refugees from returning to their homeland, regards Jerusalem al-Quds as “Israel’s undivided capital” and allows the regime to annex West Bank settlements and the Jordan Valley.

All Palestinian groups have unanimously rejected the US scheme, which largely meets Israel’s demands while creating a Palestinian state with limited control over its own security and borders.

On February 2, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Trump’s proposal is not fully compliant with United Nations Security Council resolutions

Peskov further noted that the negative reaction of Palestinians to the US initiative “raises doubts over its viability.”

Elsewhere in his remarks during Monday’s meeting, Haniyeh stressed that Hamas supports all endeavors towards Palestinian reconciliation, saying he is ready to meet President Mahmoud Abbas along with the other Palestinian factions under the auspices of Russia, Egypt or both.

Lavrov, for his part, reiterated the importance of Palestinian unity and expressed Russia’s readiness to help Palestinians unite in order to stand strong against Washington’s scheme.

Moscow, he added, “rejects the deal and does not think it is a plan that achieves peace and security in the region.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Lavrov and Haniyeh had “held in-depth discussions on measures to restore Palestinian national unity on the political platform of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, as well as on various aspects of developments in Gaza, including in the context of efforts made towards a lasting and comprehensive settlement in the Middle East based on international law.”

Qatar Foundation

The Hamas-linked Qatar Foundation's Haya al-Nassr awarded Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh a "victory shield" during a ceremony in 2012. According to the Washington Free Beacon on July 20, 2021, the Qatar Foundation "spends hundreds of millions of dollars per year to influence U.S. colleges" and also has ties to democrat representatives:

"Eric Swalwell and four other House members visited the Qatar Foundation] headquarters in April during a four-day trip hosted by the US-Qatar Business Council, according to an itinerary of the junket. The delegation met with Qatar’s emir, government leaders, and Qatar Foundation officials to discuss business opportunities for the members’ districts. The trip drew attention after photos surfaced of Swalwell and Rep. Ruben Gallego (D., Ariz.) riding shirtless on camels in Qatar’s desert. Swalwell also visited Qatar Foundation headquarters with two fellow Democrats during a trip to Doha last October.

Yvonne Ridley Connection

Yvonne Ridley writes that one of the "highlights of her career" was "receiving a Palestinian passport from (Hamas) political leader Ismail Haniyeh.