Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi | |
|---|---|
| عبد العزيز الرنتيسي | |
.png) Portrait of Al-Rantisi at theShatila refugee camp. | |
| Chairman of the Hamas Shura Council | |
| In office 22 March 2004 – 17 April 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Ahmed Yassin |
| Deputy Chairman of the Hamas Shura Council | |
| In office 10 December 1987 – 22 March 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Position created |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi (1947-10-23)23 October 1947 |
| Died | 17 April 2004(2004-04-17) (aged 56) |
| Manner of death | Assassination by airstrike |
| Spouse | Jamila Abdallah Taha al-Shanti |
| Alma mater | Alexandria University |
Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi (Arabic:عبد العزيز الرنتيسي; 23 October 1947 – 17 April 2004) was a Palestinian political leader and co-founder ofHamas, along with SheikhAhmed Yassin in 1987. He also served as thechairman of the Hamas Shura Council from theassassination of Hamas founder Ahmed Yassin on 22 March 2004 untilhis own assassination in April 2004 and the firstdeputy chairman of the Hamas Shura Council from December 1987 until March 2004.
Rantisi was born inYibna,Mandatory Palestine in 1947. During the1948 Arab-Israeli War, his familyfled or were expelled by Zionist militias to theGaza Strip. In 1956, when he was nine, Israeli soldiers killed his uncle in front of him inKhan Younis, which he stated had a lifelong impact on him. He studiedpediatric medicine andgenetics atAlexandria University inEgypt, graduating first in his class; during that time he became a member of theMuslim Brotherhood. In 1976, he returned to Gaza to teachparasitology andgenetics at theIslamic University of Gaza.
During theFirst Intifada against theIsraeli occupation in 1988, he became a popular organizer and a leader whose efforts helped the formation of Hamas. Rantisi became Hamas's political leader and spokesman in the Gaza Strip following the Israeli killing of Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in March 2004.[1] Rantisi opposed compromise with Israel and called for the creation of aPalestinian state (including the whole of the State of Israel) through military action against Israel.
On 17 April 2004, theIsraeli Air Forceassassinated al-Rantisi by firingHellfire missiles from anAH-64 Apache helicopter at his car.
Rantisi was born inYibna, nearRamle inMandatory Palestine on 23 October 1947. During the1948 Arab-Israeli War, his familyfled or were expelled by Zionist militias to theGaza Strip. In 1956, when he was eight or nine, he witnessed theKhan Yunis massacre, in which Israeli soldiers killed hundreds of Palestinians in theGaza Strip.[2] During the massacre, al-Rantisi recalled that Israeli soldiers killed his uncle in front of him — as he explained toJoe Sacco, this fact was very important for his future life.[3] He studiedpediatric medicine andgenetics atEgypt's,Alexandria University, graduating first in his class. He was a certified physician. During his time in Egypt, he became a deeply convicted member of theMuslim Brotherhood. In 1976, Rantisi returned to Gaza to teachparasitology andgenetics at theIslamic University.[4]
In 1987, four Palestinian civilians of the Jabalya refugee camp were killed in a traffic accident that involved Israeli settlers and soldiers. Rantisi joined SheikhAhmad Yassin andSalah Shehadeh, among others, encouraging people to protest the occupation, after mosque services. This was the start of theFirst Intifada, which lasted five years. Rantisi became a popular organizer and leader whose efforts helped the formation ofHamas.[5][6]In December 1992, Rantissi was deported to southernLebanon, as part of the expulsion of 416 Hamas andPalestinian Islamic Jihad operatives, and emerged as the general spokesman of the expellees.[7]
On 8 June 2003, he directed a Hamas-led attack in which four Israeli soldiers were killed at theErez Crossing in the Gaza Strip. On 10 June 2003, Rantisi survived an Israeli helicopter attack on a car in which he was traveling.[8] He was lightly wounded in the attack, which killed one of his bodyguards, a civilian, and wounded at least 25 others.[9] Rantisi also reportedly threatened, while in his bed inAl-Shifa Hospital, "not a single Jew in Palestine is safe" and "kill Israeli political leaders, because all of them are killers".[10]
On 23 March 2004, Rantisi was named leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, following the killing ofAhmed Yassin by Israeli forces. On 27 March 2004, Rantisi addressed 5,000 supporters inGaza. He declared the then-US PresidentGeorge W. Bush to be an "enemy of Muslims" and asserted that "America declared war against God. Sharon declared war against God and God declared war against America, Bush and Sharon. The war of God continues against them and I can see the victory coming up from the land of Palestine by the hand of Hamas."[11]
On 17 April 2004, Rantisi wasassassinated by theIsraeli Air Force, when they firedHellfire missiles from anAH-64 Apache helicopter at his car. Two others, a bodyguard (named Akram Nassar), and Rantisi's 27-year-old son Mohammed, were also killed in the attack, and four bystanders wounded.Israeli army radio stated that this was the first opportunity to target Rantisi, without significantcollateral damage, since he took the leadership of Hamas,[12] alleging that he had surrounded himself withhuman shields since the killing of Yassin.[13]
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesmanJonathan Peled stated:
British Foreign MinisterJack Straw condemned the action:
Rantisi was married toJamila Abdallah Taha al-Shanti, who was elected to thePalestinian Legislative Council in 2006, and who was herself assassinated in 2023; they had six children.[16]
Al-Rantisi's political writings and poems were widely published in Arabic newspapers and on his personal website.[17]Among his books we findMemoirs of the Martyr Dr. Abdel Aziz Al-Rantisi, compiled by Amer Shamakh, which offers insights into his personal experiences, ideological beliefs, and the events that shaped his role in the Palestinian resistance.[18]
TheAl-Rantisi Pediatric Hospital, in Gaza City, is named after him. It provided treatment for cancer and kidney failure.[19][20]
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