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Portrait of Ahmad Yassin

Ahmad Yassin

Founder of Hamas, influential in Palestinian resistance movement.

Born
1936
Born in
Al Joura, Askalan, Palestine
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Why Ahmad is here

Ahmad Yassin was a pivotal figure in the Palestinian struggle against Israeli occupation. He founded Hamas, introducing a strong religious dimension to the Palestinian resistance. His leadership in Hamas significantly impacted the dynamics of the Palestinian resistance.

Their story

Sheikh Ahmed Yassin was born in al-Jura, near Ashkelon, in the mid-1930s; his family was driven to Gaza in 1948. Paralysed in an accident as a teenager and nearly blind, he became a teacher and preacher in Gaza's refugee camps and built a network of mosques, schools and charities.

In December 1987, at the start of the First Intifada, he founded Hamas and became its spiritual leader. Israel jailed him for life in 1989 but released him in 1997, after a failed attempt on Khaled Mashal's life in Amman. He was killed by an Israeli missile strike as he left dawn prayers in Gaza City on 22 March 2004.

In pictures

Milestones

The moments that shaped Ahmad’s path.

  1. 1948

    Forcibly displacement to Shati refugee camp in the Gaza Strip due to the Israeli occupation.

  2. 1952

    Paralyzed from a neck injury, confining him to a wheelchair.

  3. 1987

    Founded Hamas during the first Palestinian Intifada.

  4. 1989

    Convicted and imprisoned for involvement in a plot against collaborators with the occupation.

  5. 1997

    Released from Israeli prison, further enhancing his status as a resistance symbol.

Legacy

What they built, changed and left behind.

  1. Founding and leading Hamas, a major player in Palestinian resistance.

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  2. Integrating Islamic principles into the Palestinian national struggle.

  3. Shaping the resistance approach through both militant and welfare activities.

  4. Influencing the Palestinian resistance approach against Israeli occupation.

  5. Contributing to the ideological shift in the Palestinian resistance towards a blend of nationalism and Islamism.

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Ahmad in interviews, talks and coverage.

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Further reading

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