Ismail Haniya has been re-elected as the head of the Palestinian organization Hamas. This information was given to the media by Hamas on Sunday. Ismail Haniya has been in this post since 2016.
Analysts believe that his re-election as head of Hamas has strengthened his influence and control over the organization.Qatar-based Al Jazeera reports that a Palestinian official has confirmed to Reuters that Ismail Haniya has been re-elected. The official said Ismail Haniya had been the head of Hamas for four years.
He was recently re-elected for a second term by an internal vote of the organization's members.Ismail Haniya was a close associate of Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in the Gaza Strip. Sheikh Ahmed Yassin was killed in an Israeli airstrike in 2004. Ismail Haniyeh's influence in Hamas then intensified. Ismail Haniya's direct rise in Palestinian politics took place before the January 2008 elections.
His party did worse than expected from opinion polls, which saw them at gaining about a third of the support of Mahmoud Abbas.After this victory, Ismail Haniya also became the Prime Minister of Palestine. But the international community, including the United States, Israel and the European Union, considers Hamas a "terrorist organization." Even then, Hamas remains influential in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza since 2007 over threats from Hamas. More than 250 Palestinian civilians were killed in Israeli attacks in May this year. A rocket fired from Gaza killed 13 Israelis. Ismail Haniya was the leader of Hamas in the conflict. After the return of peace, the two sides agreed to a ceasefire agreement mediated by Egypt.
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