Today marks the 19th anniversary of the assassination of the founder of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, at the hands of the genocidal Israeli occupation forces in 2004. 

His life

A religious and political leader who had devoted his life to defending the Palestinian issue and rights, Yassin was born in 1936 in Al-Jura, a Palestinian city that no longer exists.

Growing up in a conservative family of farmers, he was known for his love of learning and his devotion to Islam. He studied at a local mosque and later went on to study in Egypt, where he received a degree in Arabic language and literature. Upon his return to Palestine, he became a teacher and an Imam, leading prayers at a local mosque.

In 1987, Yassin co-founded the resistance movement of Hamas, an organization whose objectives are to defend the Palestinian people against the Israeli occupation and liberate occupied Palestine.

Yassin's influence grew rapidly, and he became a key figure in the Palestinian resistance movement. He was kidnapped by the Israeli occupation authorities in 1989 and sentenced to life imprisonment, but was released in 1997 as part of a prisoner exchange deal.

Despite his incarceration, Yassin continued to be a vocal advocate for the just Palestinian cause. Seen as a hero by many Palestinians, the Hamas' founder survived several assassination attempts by the Israeli occupation military.

His martyrdom

On March 22, 2004, he was assassinated along with seven others in a surgical airstrike by the occupation forces while leaving a mosque in Gaza.

After a life full of sacrifices, resistance, and resilience in all political and military arenas, Yassin was crowned with his highest aspiration, i.e. martyrdom.

Yassin's legacy continues to influence the Palestinian people in their ongoing quest for freedom and his life and death serve as a reminder of the deep-seated and long-standing suffering of the Palestinians due to the occupation's escalating aggression.

“We do not fight the Americans nor do we fight the Europeans, we only fight the Israeli occupation that seized our homes and lands.” (Sheikh Ahmed Yassin)