Ismail Haniyeh’s daughter-in-law can’t stop smiling over his death
TV host: “Inas, you’re smiling right now while millions around the world are crying over the death of Ismail Haniyeh as a Martyr. Why are you smiling?”
Haniyeh’s daughter in law:
Martyrdom is “a wedding [to virgins in Paradise], not a funeral”
“I was also happy when the Israelis distributed sweets in Gaza due to the death of my beloved father-in-law as a Martyr… we don’t have sugar in the north [of Gaza] to make sweets… They [Israelis] saved us from having to make them and gave them out themselves. We are grateful to them”
“When we embarked upon this journey and Ismail Haniyeh embarked upon it, he was certain about its end... Martyrdom that brings joy to the believers”
“When my husband, children, and cousins died as Martyrs... he [Haniyeh] received the news proudly… When he spoke to me after they died as Martyrs to comfort me, we talked as if nothing had happened”
All you have to do to make some Palestinian women happy is kill their husband, father-in-law, and children—this according to Ismail Haniyeh’s daughter-in-law, as she makes clear in a televised interview.
The presentation of Martyrdom as the desired goal for life is something that is expressed regularly by both ordinary Palestinians and their leaders on television after the death of their relatives as so-called “Martyrs.” Nevertheless, considering how many immediate relatives Haniyeh’s daughter-in-law lost, including her own children, the overwhelming joy expressed by her incessant smiling surprised even the TV host.
The following is from her interview:
Inas, Ismail Haniyeh’s daughter-in-law: “I remember the last time I spoke with him [Ismail Haniyeh] when my husband, children, and cousins died as Martyrs. As you know, he received the news proudly and said, ‘May God bless them.’ When he spoke to me after they died as Martyrs to comfort me, we talked as if nothing had happened, though it was a terrible tragedy. He said: ‘Where have you been? Peace upon you, mother of the Martyrs!’ I said to him: ‘Where have you been? Father of the Martyrs and grandfather of the Martyrs.’… We used to smile at each other, and we were always in touch. He always would tell me… ‘my place is not here [this world], it is in Paradise. I came to this world on a mission, and I will soon return to Paradise…’”
Host: “Inas, you’re smiling right now while millions around the world are crying over the death of Ismail Haniyeh as a Martyr. Where does this strength come from and why are you smiling?”
Inas: “When we embarked upon this journey and Ismail Haniyeh embarked upon it, he was certain about its end and its result. And this is its result—Martyrdom that brings joy to the believers. It's a wedding [to virgins in Paradise], not a funeral. I'm surprised, but I was also happy when the Israelis distributed sweets in Gaza due to the death of my beloved father-in-law as a Martyr. I laughed and said that we don’t have sugar in the north [of Gaza] to make sweets and distribute them. They [Israelis] saved us from having to make them and gave them out themselves. We are grateful to them, [but] may they not be happy.”
[Quds News Network (Hamas), Twitter account, August 4, 2024]
Palestinian Media Watch has reported on this phenomenon of parents and relatives celebrating Martyrdom death hundreds of times throughout the past three decades.