One year after the martyrdom of Ismail Haniyeh, the late head of Hamas’s political bureau, a voice of loyalty echoes from his home through his son, Abdulsalam Haniyeh.
He affirmed that his martyred Palestinian leader achieved what he strived for throughout his life and what his patient heart desired: martyrdom in the path of God and for the liberation of Palestine.
Speaking to the Al-Ahed news website on the first anniversary of his father’s martyrdom, Abdulsalam Haniyeh stated: “My father’s martyrdom was simply an extension of his path, a path symbolizing sacrifice and salvation. My father offered his children and grandchildren on this path and never deviated from the path of resistance for a moment. His voice, whether in the political arena or on the battlefield, was firm and resolute. He always emphasized that jihad is a creed, and the blood of all Palestinians is equal; no one’s blood is more precious than another’s.”
He added: “My father always said my blood is not more valuable than the blood of the children, women, and elders of Gaza. We are a people who sacrifice our lives for freedom and have prepared ourselves for every eventuality. My father was always ready for martyrdom and survived four assassination attempts by the Zionist enemy. We experienced the feeling of martyrdom with him every day, and he always told us to be ready to hear the news of my martyrdom at any moment.”
Regarding his martyred father’s legacy, Abdulsalam Haniyeh said: “My father believed in Palestinian unity and worked tirelessly to achieve it, both on the ground and in politics. My father was a man of unity and believed that division is a stab in the back of the Palestinian cause, and the blood of martyrs should unite, not divide. Today is the time for us to transform these sacrifices, these pure bloods, into the true unity they deserve.”
Addressing Palestinian leaders, the son of the martyred Haniyeh emphasized: “Let the blood of the martyrs be a guiding light for unity, and let us embark on a comprehensive national project that serves Palestinian interests and does not surrender to the enemy’s conditions. The Zionist enemy does not differentiate between any Palestinian groups and seeks the killing and annihilation of all Palestinians.”
Abdulsalam Haniyeh stated: “We are facing a criminal enemy that commits barbaric crimes against our people daily. But we believe in God’s promise and know that this enemy will be destroyed, and we will witness the collapse of its entity, just as all previous tyrannical projects have fallen.”
He concluded his remarks by saying: “The resistance continues and will be ignited by the blood of the martyrs until the promised victory, God willing, is achieved. On the first anniversary of my martyred father and leader, the echo of his voice is still alive on the battlefield, and his will is a trust on the shoulders of the resistance fighters. His blood continues to bear witness that Palestine will only be liberated through jihad, and only through steadfastness can Palestine be reclaimed. True leaders and commanders never die; rather, their bodies become a bridge for the Islamic nation to cross towards Quds.”
