Date | 17 April 2004 |
---|---|
Location | Gaza City, Gaza Strip |
Cause | Attacks against Israel |
Target | Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi |
Perpetrator | IDF |
Deaths | 3 [1] |
On the evening of 17 April 2004, the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi, aged 56, was assassinated by missiles fired by Israeli warplanes on the car he was traveling in. [2] In addition two of his bodyguards were killed. [1] The operation was considered part of a campaign to eliminate the leaders of the groups fighting in the uprising. [3] The assassination led to widespread condemnation around the world. [4] Hamas spokesman Ismail Haniyeh vowed to avenge the death, saying the sacrifice would not be in vain. [5]
Al-Rantisi was among the founders of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in December 1987. [6] He was arrested on March 4, 1988, and remained in prison until September 4, 1990. He was deported on December 17, 1992, along with 425 other Hamas and Islamic Jihad activists and cadres, to southern Lebanon. Then he was allowed to return and was imprisoned until 1997. He was also arrested by Palestinian Authority security forces and detained for 15 months. [6]
Al-Rantisi had narrowly escaped an assassination attack on June 10, 2003, as an Apache aircraft identified his location and targeted his vehicle with a missile. The operation resulted in the deaths of three Palestinians, including a woman and a girl, and left Al-Rantisi injured with shrapnel in his lower left extremity. Al-Rantisi, still under the influence of anesthesia following the surgical procedure, committed to "persisting with the resistance efforts." [7]
The attack took place less than a month after the assassination of leader Ahmed Yassin. [2] Rantisi was one of the founders of the movement. On 10 June 2003, Al-Rantisi had survived an assassination attempt by an Apache helicopter, in which he and his son were wounded. [8] [9] He was still alive when he was taken to hospital where he died a few minutes later. [10] In response, the militant movement promised retribution. [3]
His funeral took place the next day, and large, angry crowds participated in his funeral. [20] Fighters from Palestinian national and Islamic organizations also participated in the cortège. [21] At the same time, Hamas named a new leader, whom it did not disclose due to security reasons. [20]
On 20 April 2004, Israeli occupation forces shot dead four Palestinians. [22] The same day, Sharon warned of further attacks on Hamas leaders. He said that the two leaders would not be the last to be killed. [23]
His wife Jamila al-Shanti was also killed after the start of the 2023–2024 Gaza War. [24]
Khaled Hroub maintains that the murders of Ranitsi and Yassin resulted in a paradox for the movement, with a surge in Hamas's popularity juxtaposed with a significant weakening of the organization. [25]
Date | 17 April 2004 |
---|---|
Location | Gaza City, Gaza Strip |
Cause | Attacks against Israel |
Target | Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi |
Perpetrator | IDF |
Deaths | 3 [1] |
On the evening of 17 April 2004, the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi, aged 56, was assassinated by missiles fired by Israeli warplanes on the car he was traveling in. [2] In addition two of his bodyguards were killed. [1] The operation was considered part of a campaign to eliminate the leaders of the groups fighting in the uprising. [3] The assassination led to widespread condemnation around the world. [4] Hamas spokesman Ismail Haniyeh vowed to avenge the death, saying the sacrifice would not be in vain. [5]
Al-Rantisi was among the founders of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in December 1987. [6] He was arrested on March 4, 1988, and remained in prison until September 4, 1990. He was deported on December 17, 1992, along with 425 other Hamas and Islamic Jihad activists and cadres, to southern Lebanon. Then he was allowed to return and was imprisoned until 1997. He was also arrested by Palestinian Authority security forces and detained for 15 months. [6]
Al-Rantisi had narrowly escaped an assassination attack on June 10, 2003, as an Apache aircraft identified his location and targeted his vehicle with a missile. The operation resulted in the deaths of three Palestinians, including a woman and a girl, and left Al-Rantisi injured with shrapnel in his lower left extremity. Al-Rantisi, still under the influence of anesthesia following the surgical procedure, committed to "persisting with the resistance efforts." [7]
The attack took place less than a month after the assassination of leader Ahmed Yassin. [2] Rantisi was one of the founders of the movement. On 10 June 2003, Al-Rantisi had survived an assassination attempt by an Apache helicopter, in which he and his son were wounded. [8] [9] He was still alive when he was taken to hospital where he died a few minutes later. [10] In response, the militant movement promised retribution. [3]
His funeral took place the next day, and large, angry crowds participated in his funeral. [20] Fighters from Palestinian national and Islamic organizations also participated in the cortège. [21] At the same time, Hamas named a new leader, whom it did not disclose due to security reasons. [20]
On 20 April 2004, Israeli occupation forces shot dead four Palestinians. [22] The same day, Sharon warned of further attacks on Hamas leaders. He said that the two leaders would not be the last to be killed. [23]
His wife Jamila al-Shanti was also killed after the start of the 2023–2024 Gaza War. [24]
Khaled Hroub maintains that the murders of Ranitsi and Yassin resulted in a paradox for the movement, with a surge in Hamas's popularity juxtaposed with a significant weakening of the organization. [25]