Hamas After Israel released
Ahmed Yassin from prison in 1997, Haniyeh was appointed to head his office.
Prime minister , 20 November 2012 in Gaza, 8 December 2012 Haniyeh was nominated as prime minister on 16 February 2006 following the Hamas "List of Change and Reform" victory on 25 January 2006. He was formally presented to
president Mahmoud Abbas on 20 February and was sworn in on 29 March 2006.
Western reaction Israel implemented a series of punitive measures, including economic sanctions, against the Palestinian Authority following the election.
Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, announced that Israel would not transfer to the
Palestinian Authority an estimated $50 million per month in tax receipts that were collected by Israel on behalf of the Palestinian Authority. Haniyeh dismissed the sanctions, stating that Hamas would neither disarm nor would it recognize Israel. Haniyeh expressed regret that Hamas was subjected to punitive measures, adding that "it [Israel] should have responded differently to the democracy expressed by the Palestinian people". The United States demanded that $50 million in unexpended foreign aid funds for the Palestinian Authority be returned to the United States, which Palestinian Economic Minister
Mazen Sonokrot agreed to do. On the loss of foreign aid from the United States and the
European Union, Haniyeh commented that: "The West is always using its donations to apply pressure on the Palestinian people." Several months after Hamas' 2006 election victory, Haniyeh sent a letter to U.S. President
George W. Bush, in which he called on the "American government to have direct negotiations with the elected government", offered a
long-term truce with Israel, while accepting a
Palestinian state within
the 1967 borders and urged an end to the international boycott, claiming that it would "encourage violence and chaos". The U.S. government did not respond and maintained its boycott.
Dispute with Abbas An agreement with Abbas was to have been reached to stop Abbas's call for new elections. On 20 October 2006, on the eve of this deal to end factional fighting between Fatah and Hamas, Haniyeh's convoy came under gunfire in Gaza and one of the cars was set on fire. Haniyeh was not hurt in the attack. Hamas sources said that this was not an assassination attempt. Palestinian Authority security sources reported that the attackers were the relatives of a Fatah man killed by clashes with Hamas.
Denied re-entry to Gaza During the simmering
Fatah–Hamas conflict, on 14 December 2006, Haniyeh was denied entry to Gaza from Egypt at the
Rafah Border Crossing. The border crossing was closed by order of Israeli
Minister of Defence Amir Peretz. Haniyeh was returning to Gaza from his first official trip abroad as prime minister. He was carrying an estimated US$30 million in cash, intended for Palestinian Authority payments. Israeli authorities later stated that they would allow Haniyeh to cross the border provided he left the money in Egypt, which would reportedly be transferred to an
Arab League bank account. A gun battle between Hamas militants and the Palestinian Presidential Guard was reported at the Rafah Border Crossing in response to the incident. The
EU monitors who operated the crossing were reportedly evacuated safely. When Haniyeh later attempted to cross the border, an exchange of gunfire left one bodyguard dead and Haniyeh's eldest son wounded. Hamas denounced the incident as an attempt by rival Fatah on Haniyeh's life, prompting firefights in the West Bank and Gaza Strip between Hamas and Fatah forces. Haniyeh was quoted as saying that he knew who the alleged perpetrators were, but declined to identify them and appealed for Palestinian unity. Egypt offered to mediate the situation.
Palestinian National Unity Government of March 2007 in 2012 Haniyeh resigned on 15 February 2007 as part of the process to form a national unity government between Hamas and Fatah. He formed a new government on 18 March 2007 as head of a new cabinet that included Fatah as well as Hamas politicians. On 14 June 2007, amid the
Battle of Gaza, President Mahmoud Abbas announced the dissolution of the March 2007 unity government and the declaration of a
state of emergency. Haniyeh was dismissed and Abbas ruled Gaza and the West Bank by presidential decree.
Head of Hamas political bureau As of November 2016, reports circulated regarding Haniyeh's succession of Khaled Mashaal as leader of Hamas. This meeting signaled that Haniyeh had been selected over the other two likely candidates, senior Hamas member
Mousa Abu Marzook and Hamas co-founder and former Palestinian Authority foreign minister
Mahmoud al-Zahar. In 2017, Hamas changed its core policy, saying it “advocates the liberation of all of Palestine but is ready to support the state on 1967 borders without recognising Israel or ceding any rights.” In 2018 he was placed on
United States' list of specially designated global terrorists. Haniyeh left Gaza in September to visit a series of Arab and Muslim states in preparation for his new role and officially relocated to the Qatari capital of Doha, where Mashaal has been residing. It is expected of the head of Hamas'
politburo to live outside of the Gaza Strip. In August 2020, Haniyeh called Mahmoud Abbas and rejected the
normalization agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, something which
Reuters called a "rare show of unity". On 26 July 2023, Haniyeh met with Erdoğan and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Behind the meeting was Turkey's effort to reconcile Fatah with Hamas.
Gaza war On 7 October 2023, the day of the
October 7 attacks, Haniyeh was in
Istanbul, Turkey. Footage from his office in the Qatari capital of Doha showed Haniyeh celebrating the Hamas-led October 7 attack with other Hamas officials, before they prayed and praised God. According to the Telegraph, Haniyeh became the "public face" of the attack, publicly describing it as the start of a new era in the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Haniyeh gave a televised address in which he cited threats to
Al-Aqsa mosque, the Israeli
blockade of Gaza, and plight of
Palestinian refugees: "How many times have we warned you that the Palestinian people have been living in refugee camps for 75 years, and you refuse to recognise the rights of our people?" On 10 October, Haniyeh said Hamas would not consider the release of any Israeli captives until the war was over. He claimed that the scope of Israel's retaliation was a reflection of the "resounding impact" the 7 October attack had on the country, and reiterated that the Palestinian people in Gaza had a "willingness to sacrifice all that is precious for the sake of their freedom and dignity." He added that Israel "will pay a heavy price for their crimes and terrorism [against the people of Palestine]." On 15 October 2023,
The Times of Israel reported that Haniyeh "was politely sent away" from Turkey; Turkey officially denied these reports. Haniyeh later met with Iranian Foreign Minister
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Doha. On 16 October 2023, Haniyeh and Turkey's Foreign Minister
Hakan Fidan discussed the possibility of releasing the
hostages taken during the Hamas attack on Israel. On 21 October 2023, Haniyeh spoke with Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan about the latest developments in the
Gaza war and the current situation in Gaza. On 13 December, an opinion poll showed that Haniyeh would defeat incumbent Mahmoud Abbas by a landslide for the position of President of the State of Palestine (78% for Haniyeh and 16% for Abbas). However, in a three-way race between Haniyeh, Abbas, and
Marwan Barghouti, Barghouti would win 47%, Haniyeh would win 43% and Abbas would win 7%. Barghouti is under solitary imprisonment by Israel. In April 2024, Haniyeh met with Fatah's deputy head,
Mahmoud Aloul, in China to discuss reconciliation. On 23 July, a further round of talks between Hamas and Fatah resulted in an agreement to form an “interim national reconciliation government” to maintain Palestinian control in the Gaza Strip after the war. President
Joe Biden said publicly that Israel's killing of Haniyeh, a key negotiator in the ceasefire talks, "doesn't help" efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza. == Legal case ==