Ghazi Hamad (Arabic: غازي حمد; born 1964) is a senior Hamas leader. He formerly was chairman of the border crossings authority in the Gaza Strip and Deputy Foreign Minister in the Hamas government of 2012.[1][2]

According to the New York Times, Hamad left Gaza for Lebanon weeks before the Hamas October 7, 2023 attack upon Israel that triggered the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.[3]

Biography

Hamad was born in 1964 in the Yibna refugee camp, located along Gaza's border with Egypt at Rafah Governorate.

He earned a bachelor's degree in veterinary medicine in Sudan.[4][5] He speaks both English and Hebrew in addition to his native Arabic, having learnt both languages while imprisoned in Israel.[6][5] As of October 2004, Hamad was the head of the Islamic Salvation Party.[7]

As of 2006, he had been for 25 years a member of Hamas, and the former editor-in-chief of the Hamas weekly newspaper Ar-Risala.[8][9] He was editor-in-chief in April 1999, during one of the many times when Al-Risala was shut down by the Palestinian Authority (PA) and he himself was imprisoned for publishing articles detrimental to the reputation of the PA, particularly its prison system.[9] He was also chief editor of the now-defunct Hamas-owned Al Watan newspaper.

He assumed the role of a spokesman for Hamas, having gained considerable credibility through the popularity of his newspaper, his imprisonment by the PA under the Fatah administration, as well as his five-year detention by Israeli security authorities, for illegal activities related to Hamas.[8]

In August 2006, he wrote an article for Al Ayyam, a Palestinian daily newspaper, stating that "Gaza is suffering under the yoke of anarchy and the swords of thugs", and "[i]t is strange that, when a big effort is taken to reopen Rafah crossing to ease the suffering of the people, you see others who go to shell rockets towards the crossing. Or when someone talks about cease-fire and its importance, you find those who go and shell more rockets. Of course, I do not deny that the occupation committed massacres that cannot be justified. But I support negotiations over what can be fixed."[10]

In 2006, Hamad was quoted as saying "Israel should be wiped from the face of the Earth. It is an animal state that recognizes no human worth. It is a cancer that should be eradicated."[11][12]

On 31 May 2007, Hamad stated his willingness to accept a Palestinian state[13] within the pre-1967 borders. On 23 September 2011, after Mahmoud Abbas formally asked the United Nations for Palestinian statehood, Hamad stated that he was not consulted and was ill-prepared for it.[14]

On 24 October 2023, in an interview for the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC), Hamad reiterated that Israel should be destroyed, and stated that Hamas should repeat the 7 October 2023 attacks, using its Hamas-given operational name: "We must teach Israel a lesson, and we will do it twice and three times. The al-Aqsa Deluge is just the first time."[15]

He also claimed that Hamas did not intend to harm civilians, but there were "complications" on the ground.[15]

Hamad also said: "We are the victims of the occupation. Period. Therefore, nobody should blame us for the things we do. On October 7, October 10, October one-millionth, everything we do is justified."[15]

For many years, Hamad maintained an amicable back channel dialogue with Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin, which came to an end after the October 7 attack.[5] Their behind-the-scenes negotiations led to the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Hamas seeks to enter the world of diplomacy. Saleh al-Naami, Asharq Al-Awsat, 5 September 2012
  2. ↑ Eldar, Shlomi (16 November 2012). "Hamas' Leadership Crisis May Spell Radicalization". Maariv. Archived from the original on 21 November 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2012 – via Al-Monitor.
  3. ↑ Kingsley, Patrick (2023-11-19). "For Years, Two Men Shuttled Messages Between Israel and Hamas. No Longer". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  4. ↑ Martin, Clémence. "«Israël n'a pas sa place sur notre terre» : qui est Ghazi Hamad, la «voix du Hamas» depuis le massacre du 7 octobre ?" ['Israel has no place on our land': who is Ghazi Hamad, the 'voice of Hamas' since the October 7 massacre?]. Libération (in French). Retrieved 2023-11-06.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Kingsley, Patrick (2023-11-19). "For Years, Two Men Shuttled Messages Between Israel and Hamas. No Longer". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2023-11-19. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  6. ↑ Pfeffer, Anshel; Ravid, Barak; Khoury, Jack (11 April 2011). "IDF refrains from response to Gaza rocket fire as border violence cools". Haaretz. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
  7. ↑ El-Haddad, Laila (2004-10-14). "Ghazi Hamad: Hamas has become more pragmatic". Al Jazeera English. Archived from the original on 2006-09-03. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
  8. 1 2 Warner, Margaret (24 April 2006). "Palestinians Prepare for Elections". PBS. Archived from the original on 29 November 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
  9. 1 2 Schenker, David (September 1999). "The Palestinian Authority, a Hybrid Creation". Middle East Quarterly. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
  10. ↑ Erlanger, Steven (August 28, 2006). "From Hamas Figure, an Unusual Self-Criticism". The New York Times.
  11. ↑ "Israeli shelling kills 18 in Gaza". BBC News. 2006-11-08. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
  12. ↑ Waked, Ali (2006-11-08). "Hamas: Israel must be wiped out". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
  13. ↑ "Ghazi Hamad: Stephen Sackur talks to a senior spokesman for Hamas about the ongoing violence in Gaza and the options for resolving the situation". BBC News. 31 May 2007.
  14. ↑ "OPT: Top Hamas official criticizes Palestinian bid for statehood". IRIN, the humanitarian news and analysis service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 23 September 2011. Archived from the original on 26 September 2011.
  15. 1 2 3 Pacchiani, Gianluca. "Hamas official says group will repeat Oct. 7 attack 'twice and three times' to destroy Israel". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
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