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==Personal life and background== ==Personal life and background==
Rayan was born in ], ] on March 6, 1959.<ref> (alarabiya)</ref> He attended universities in ] and ], completing his ] in ] at the ] in ].<ref name="Independent">{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/profile-of-a-professor-who-was-prepared-for-martyrdom-1221114.html|title=Profile of a professor who was prepared for martyrdom|date=2009-01-02|publisher=The Independent|accessdate=2009-01-04}}</ref><ref name="JPOST" /><ref name="Jazeera" /> Rayan then returned to the Gaza Strip and was employed in several ]s as a preacher,<ref name="JPOST" /> including the Jabalia's Imad Aqil Mosque (known as the "Mosque of martyrs"<ref name="Reuters" /><ref> ''canada.com'' January 2, 2009</ref><ref> ''UK Guardian'' December 30, 2009</ref>) where he strongly advocated suicide bombing attacks against Israel and mentored suicide bombers.<ref name="Reuters" /><ref> ''UK Guardian'' December 30, 2009</ref><ref name="MSNBC">{{cite news|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28404637/|title=Top Hamas figure killed in Israeli airstrike; Israel demands monitors as part of a Gaza truce|date=2009-01-01|publisher=MSNBC|accessdate=2009-01-01}}</ref><ref name="nydn" /> He would eventually marry four women with whom he had at least eleven children.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090102/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians;_ylt=AkDuL0ak7hKqxqgyI0IbnuSs0NUE|title=Israel destroys Hamas homes, flattens Gaza mosque|publisher=Yahoo News|accessdate=2009-01-02}}</ref> Rayan's four wives, and their ages at the time of their deaths, were Hiam 'Abdul Rahman Rayan, 46; Iman Khalil Rayan, 46; Nawal Isma'il Rayan, 40; and Sherine Sa'id Rayan, 25. The 11 Rayan children, and their ages when they died, were As'ad, 2; Usama Ibn Zaid, 3; 'Aisha, 3; Reem, 4; Miriam, 5; Halima, 5; 'Abdul Rahman, 6; Abdul Qader, 12; Aaya, 12; Zainab, 15; and Ghassan, 16.<ref> ''Palestinian Centre for Human Rights'' January 15, 2009</ref> Rayan was born in ], ] on March 6, 1959.<ref> (alarabiya)</ref> He attended universities in ] and ], completing his ] in ] at the ] in ].<ref name="Independent">{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/profile-of-a-professor-who-was-prepared-for-martyrdom-1221114.html|title=Profile of a professor who was prepared for martyrdom|date=2009-01-02|publisher=The Independent|accessdate=2009-01-04}}</ref><ref name="JPOST" /><ref name="Jazeera" /> Rayan then returned to the Gaza Strip and was employed in several ]s as a preacher,<ref name="JPOST" /> including the Jabalia's Imad Aqil Mosque (also known as the "Mosque of martyrs"<ref> ''canada.com'' January 2, 2009</ref><ref> ''UK Guardian'' December 30, 2009</ref>) where, from 1994, he strongly advocated suicide bombing attacks against Israel.<ref> ''Truthdig'' January 2, 2009</ref><ref> ''UK Guardian'' December 30, 2009</ref><ref name="MSNBC">{{cite news|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28404637/|title=Top Hamas figure killed in Israeli airstrike; Israel demands monitors as part of a Gaza truce|date=2009-01-01|publisher=MSNBC|accessdate=2009-01-01}}</ref><ref name="nydn" /> He would eventually marry four women with whom he had at least eleven children.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090102/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians;_ylt=AkDuL0ak7hKqxqgyI0IbnuSs0NUE|title=Israel destroys Hamas homes, flattens Gaza mosque|publisher=Yahoo News|accessdate=2009-01-02}}</ref>


Rayan became a professor of ] at the ].<ref name=Jazeera>{{cite web|title=Israel kills senior Hamas figure|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/01/200911133527449783.html|date=1 January 2009|accessdate=2009-01-01|publisher=AlJazeera.Net}}</ref><ref name="haaretz">{{cite news|url=http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1051880.html|title=IAF kills one of Hamas' top five leaders in Gaza |date=2009-01-01|publisher=Haaretz|accessdate=2009-01-01}}</ref> After an Israeli missile strike killed Sheikh ] in 2004, Rayan came to be considered Hamas' top clerical authority.<ref name=Guardian> ''The Guardian'' January 3, 2009</ref><ref name=JPOST>, ''Jerusalem Post'', 01-01-2009.</ref> He had a 5,000-book library in his basement, and was a leading authority on ] (sayings of the Islamic prophet Muhammad).<ref name="JPOST" /> He had a 5,000-book library in his basement, and was a leading authority on ] (sayings of the Islamic prophet Muhammad).<ref name="JPOST" /> Rayan regularly went on patrol with Hamas militants after delivering lectures at the Islamic University.<ref name="nydn"> ''New York Daily News'' January 1, 2009</ref> Rayan became a professor of ] at the ].<ref name=Jazeera>{{cite web|title=Israel kills senior Hamas figure|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/01/200911133527449783.html|date=1 January 2009|accessdate=2009-01-01|publisher=AlJazeera.Net}}</ref><ref name="haaretz">{{cite news|url=http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1051880.html|title=IAF kills one of Hamas' top five leaders in Gaza |date=2009-01-01|publisher=Haaretz|accessdate=2009-01-01}}</ref> He had a 5,000-book library in his basement, and was a leading authority on ] (sayings of the Islamic prophet Muhammad).<ref name="JPOST" /> Rayan came to be considered, according to the Jerusalem Post, a "spiritual" leader of Hamas's military wing,<ref name=JPOST>, ''Jerusalem Post'', 01-01-2009.</ref> and, arguably, Hamas's leading clerical authority after the death of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in 2004.<ref> ''UK Guardian'' January 3, 2009</ref> Rayan regularly went on patrol with Hamas militia after delivering lectures at the Islamic University.<ref name="nydn"> ''New York Daily News'' January 1, 2009</ref>


In 2001, he sent his 22-year-old son on a suicide bombing mission, which also killed two Israelis at the former Israeli settlement ] in the Gaza Strip.<ref name="bbc"> ''BBC'' January 1, 2009</ref><ref name="LAT" /><ref name="Reuters" /><ref name="FOX" /><ref name="nypost" /><ref name="Ynet">{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3648848,00.html|title=Hamas leader, 20 Palestinians killed in IAF strikes|date=2009-01-01|publisher=Ynet|accessdate=2009-01-01}}</ref><ref name="nydn" /> Rayan is alleged to have directed and financed the 2004 ], which killed ten people.<ref name="AJ-profile">{{cite news|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/01/20091218131371179.html|title=Profile: Nizar Rayyan |date=2009-01-04|publisher=Al-Jazeera|accessdate=2009-01-04}}</ref><ref name="JPOST" /><ref name="Ynet" /><ref name="bloomberg">{{cite news|url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aOoQbn81BHaU&refer=home|title=Hamas Senior Official Rayyan Killed in Israeli Strike |date=2009-01-01|publisher=Bloomberg|accessdate=2009-01-02}}</ref> Hamas ceased deploying suicide bombers against Israel in 2005, but Rayan advocated for their renewal.<ref name="haaretz"/><ref name="nydn"/> According to writer ], Rayan began to advocate suicide attacks and mentor suicide bombers<ref name="Reuters">{{cite news|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSLS69391620090101?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews|title=Israeli strike kills senior Hamas leader|date=2009-01-01|publisher=Reuters|accessdate=2009-01-02}}</ref> in 1994, in the wake of a massacre of 29 Palestinian civilians by Israeli settler ].<ref> ''Truthdig'' January 2, 2009</ref> In 2001, he sent his 22-year-old son on a suicide bombing mission, which also killed two Israelis at the former Israeli settlement ] in the Gaza Strip.<ref name="bbc"> ''BBC'' January 1, 2009</ref><ref name="LAT" /><ref name="Reuters" /><ref name="FOX" /><ref name="nypost" /><ref name="Ynet">{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3648848,00.html|title=Hamas leader, 20 Palestinians killed in IAF strikes|date=2009-01-01|publisher=Ynet|accessdate=2009-01-01}}</ref><ref name="nydn" /> Rayan is alleged to have directed and financed the 2004 ], which killed ten people.<ref name="AJ-profile">{{cite news|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/01/20091218131371179.html|title=Profile: Nizar Rayyan |date=2009-01-04|publisher=Al-Jazeera|accessdate=2009-01-04}}</ref><ref name="JPOST" /><ref name="Ynet" /><ref name="bloomberg">{{cite news|url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aOoQbn81BHaU&refer=home|title=Hamas Senior Official Rayyan Killed in Israeli Strike |date=2009-01-01|publisher=Bloomberg|accessdate=2009-01-02}}</ref> Hamas ceased suicide attacks against Israel in 2005, but Rayan advocated for their renewal after the ] began.<ref> ''UK Telegraph'' January 1, 2009</ref> <ref name="haaretz"/><ref name="nydn"/>


Rayan was one of the principal architects of the ], in which 400 ] loyalists were killed and dozens more were tortured and maimed.<ref> ''The Age (Australia)'' June 23, 2007</ref><ref name="ICRC"> ''Reuters'' June 15, 2007</ref><ref name="nydn" /><ref name="JPOST" /> According to a Hamas spokesperson, it's possible that the ] asked Israel to kill Rayan due to his role in the Hamas-Fatah clashes.<ref name="JPOST" /> He added that Rayan was one of the main reasons why many of ]'s men "did not sleep well at night."<ref name="JPOST" /> Rayan was one of the principal architects of the ], in which ] security forces were routed and between 116 and 400 ] and ] militia and civilians lost their lives. Hamas and Fatah have been accused of atrocities, including torture.<ref> ''The Age (Australia)'' June 23, 2007</ref><ref name="ICRC"> ''Reuters'' June 15, 2007</ref><ref name="nydn" /><ref name="JPOST" /> According to a Hamas spokesperson, it's possible that the ] asked Israel to kill Rayan due to his role in the Hamas-Fatah clashes.<ref name="JPOST" /> He added that Rayan was one of the main reasons why many of ]'s men "did not sleep well at night."<ref name="JPOST" />


Rayan was fundamentally opposed to the state of Israel.<ref name="bbc" /> He proclaimed, "True Islam would never allow a Jewish state to survive in the Muslim Middle East. Israel is an impossibility. It is an offense against God."<ref name="atlantic">{{cite news|url=http://jeffreygoldberg.theatlantic.com/archives/2009/01/nizar_rayyan_of_hamas_on_gods.php|title=Nizar Rayyan of Hamas on God's Hatred of Jews |last=Goldberg|first=Jeffrey|date=2009-01-02|publisher=]|accessdate=2009-01-04}}</ref> In an interview with ] of '']'', Rayan said that he believed ]s are a "cursed people" and some were transformed into pigs and apes by ],<ref name="atlantic" /> and that Jews must pay for murdering the prophets of Islam and "closing ears to the Messenger of Allah."<ref name="atlantic" /> Rayan was fundamentally opposed to the state of Israel.<ref name="bbc" /> He proclaimed, "True Islam would never allow a Jewish state to survive in the Muslim Middle East. Israel is an impossibility. It is an offense against God."<ref name="atlantic">{{cite news|url=http://jeffreygoldberg.theatlantic.com/archives/2009/01/nizar_rayyan_of_hamas_on_gods.php|title=Nizar Rayyan of Hamas on God's Hatred of Jews |last=Goldberg|first=Jeffrey|date=2009-01-02|publisher=]|accessdate=2009-01-04}}</ref> According to writer ], Rayan said that he believed ]s are a "cursed people" and some were transformed into pigs and apes by ],<ref name="atlantic" /> and that Jews must pay for murdering the prophets of Islam and "closing ears to the Messenger of Allah."<ref name="atlantic" />


==Israeli attack== ==Israeli attack==
⚫ Rayan was killed in an ] strike on 1 January 2009 during the ].<ref> AFP, 1 January 2009</ref> He was killed by a 2,000-pound bomb from an Israeli missile strike. The bomb also killed his four wives and 11 of their children.<ref name=Harel>{{cite web|title=IDF targets senior Hamas figures|author=Haaretz Correspondents and Agencies, Amos Harel and Yoav Stern|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1052052.html|date=2 January 2009|accessdate=2009-01-02}}</ref><ref name=AP>{{cite web|title=Child casualties mount in beseiged Gaza|author=The Associated Press|publisher=]|date=January 1, 2009|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/01/01/news/ML-Gaza-Children-Casualties.php|accessdate=2009-01-01}}</ref><ref name="Reuters">{{cite news|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSLS69391620090101?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews|title=Israeli strike kills senior Hamas leader|date=2009-01-01|publisher=Reuters|accessdate=2009-01-02}}</ref><ref name="FOX">{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,474824,00.html|title=Strike Kills Hamas Leader as Israel Demands Global Monitors for Truce|date=2009-01-01|publisher=FOX News|accessdate=2009-01-01}}</ref> Rayan's four wives, and their ages at the time of their deaths, were Hiam 'Abdul Rahman Rayan, 46; Iman Khalil Rayan, 46; Nawal Isma'il Rayan, 40; and Sherine Sa'id Rayan, 25. The 11 Rayan children, and their ages when they died, were As'ad, 2; Usama Ibn Zaid, 3; 'Aisha, 3; Reem, 4; Miriam, 5; Halima, 5; 'Abdul Rahman, 6; Abdul Qader, 12; Aaya, 12; Zainab, 15; and Ghassan, 16.<ref> ''Palestinian Centre for Human Rights'' January 15, 2009</ref>
⚫ Rayan was preaching in a local mosque the day before he was killed and advocated renewal of suicide attacks on Israel, declaring, according to the '']'', "Our only language with the Jew is through the gun".<ref name="nydn">{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/01/01/2009-01-01_israel_fells_key_hamas_strongman_escalat.html|title=Israel fells key Hamas strongman, escalating conflict; says it's ready for ground invasion|date=2009-01-01|publisher=New York Daily News|accessdate=2009-01-01}}</ref> He also appeared on ] proclaiming, "God willing, the evil state, the Jewish state will not break the resistance.<ref name="bbc">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7807430.stm|title=Obituary: Nizar Rayyan |date=2009-01-01|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2009-01-01}}</ref>


⚫ Rayan was preaching in a local mosque the day before he was killed and advocated renewal of suicide attacks on Israel, declaring, according to the New York Daily News, "Our only language with the Jew is through the gun".<ref name="nydn">{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/01/01/2009-01-01_israel_fells_key_hamas_strongman_escalat.html|title=Israel fells key Hamas strongman, escalating conflict; says it's ready for ground invasion|date=2009-01-01|publisher=New York Daily News|accessdate=2009-01-01}}</ref> He also appeared on ] proclaiming, "God willing, the evil state, the Jewish state will not break the resistance.<ref name="bbc">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7807430.stm|title=Obituary: Nizar Rayyan |date=2009-01-01|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2009-01-01}}</ref>
⚫ Rayan was killed in an ] strike on 1 January 2009 during the ].<ref> AFP, 1 January 2009</ref> He was killed by a 2,000-pound bomb from an Israeli missile strike. The bomb also killed his four wives and 11 of their children.<ref name=Harel>{{cite web|title=IDF targets senior Hamas figures|author=Haaretz Correspondents and Agencies, Amos Harel and Yoav Stern|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1052052.html|date=2 January 2009|accessdate=2009-01-02}}</ref><ref name=AP>{{cite web|title=Child casualties mount in beseiged Gaza|author=The Associated Press|publisher=]|date=January 1, 2009|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/01/01/news/ML-Gaza-Children-Casualties.php|accessdate=2009-01-01}}</ref><ref name="Reuters">{{cite news|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSLS69391620090101?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews|title=Israeli strike kills senior Hamas leader|date=2009-01-01|publisher=Reuters|accessdate=2009-01-02}}</ref><ref name="FOX">{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,474824,00.html|title=Strike Kills Hamas Leader as Israel Demands Global Monitors for Truce|date=2009-01-01|publisher=FOX News|accessdate=2009-01-01}}</ref>


Unlike other Hamas leaders at risk of being targeted by Israel, Rayan did not go underground after the armed conflict with Israel began in late December.<ref name="bbc" /><ref name="Ynet" /><ref name="RNW">{{cite news|url=http://www.radionetherlands.nl/currentaffairs/090102-hamas-underground|title=Hamas has gone underground|last=Abdulrahman|first=Mohammed |date=2009-01-01|publisher=]|accessdate=2009-01-04}}</ref><ref name=Jazeera/> /> While most of Hamas' leaders went into hiding after the Israeli operation began in December, Rayan chose to stay at home.<ref name="bbc" /><ref name="Ynet" /> According to a Hamas spokesperson and Rayyan's son, the ] warned Rayan, by contacting his cell phone, that an attack was imminent.<ref name="Independent">{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/profile-of-a-professor-who-was-prepared-for-martyrdom-1221114.html|title=Profile of a professor who was prepared for martyrdom|date=2009-01-02|publisher=The Independent|accessdate=2009-01-04}}</ref><ref name =telegraph_rayan>{{cite web|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/4061004/Hardline-Hamas-leader-killed-in-air-strike-on-Gaza-home.html|title=Hardline Hamas leader killed in air strike on Gaza home|publisher=]|date=January 1, 2009|accessdate=2009-01-02}}</ref><ref name="Ynet" /><ref name="nydn"/><ref name="nydn" /> However, an Israeli military spokesperson "could not give details or specify whether Rayyan's family had been warned."<ref name="IHT">{{cite news|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/01/02/africa/02mideast-passcnd.php?page|title=As bombing continues, Israel allows some foreigners to leave Gaza|last=Kershner|first=Isabel|coauthors=Taghreed El Khodary|date=2009-01-02|publisher=International Herald Tribune|accessdate=2009-01-04}}</ref> Unlike other Hamas leaders at risk of being targeted by Israel, Rayan did not go into hiding after the armed conflict with Israel began in late December.<ref name="bbc" /><ref name="Ynet" /><ref name="RNW">{{cite news|url=http://www.radionetherlands.nl/currentaffairs/090102-hamas-underground|title=Hamas has gone underground|last=Abdulrahman|first=Mohammed |date=2009-01-01|publisher=]|accessdate=2009-01-04}}</ref><ref name=Jazeera/> According to a Hamas spokesperson and Rayyan's son, the ] warned Rayan, by contacting his cell phone, that an attack was imminent.<ref name="Independent">{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/profile-of-a-professor-who-was-prepared-for-martyrdom-1221114.html|title=Profile of a professor who was prepared for martyrdom|date=2009-01-02|publisher=The Independent|accessdate=2009-01-04}}</ref><ref name =telegraph_rayan>{{cite web|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/4061004/Hardline-Hamas-leader-killed-in-air-strike-on-Gaza-home.html|title=Hardline Hamas leader killed in air strike on Gaza home|publisher=]|date=January 1, 2009|accessdate=2009-01-02}}</ref><ref name="Ynet" /><ref name="nydn"/><ref name="nydn" /> However, an Israeli military spokesperson "could not give details or specify whether Rayyan's family had been warned."<ref name="IHT">{{cite news|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/01/02/africa/02mideast-passcnd.php?page|title=As bombing continues, Israel allows some foreigners to leave Gaza|last=Kershner|first=Isabel|coauthors=Taghreed El Khodary|date=2009-01-02|publisher=International Herald Tribune|accessdate=2009-01-04}}</ref>


According to the Israeli government, Rayan's house served as an arms and ammunition warehouse and as a Hamas communications center at the time of the attack.<ref name="JPOST" /> The ] said that the many secondary explosions were triggered by the weapons stockpile stored within his house.<ref name=AP/><ref name="nypost">{{cite news|url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/01012009/news/worldnews/israel_kills_top_hamas_figure_146785.htm|title=Israel Kills Top Hamas Figure|date=2009-01-01|publisher=New York Post|accessdate=2009-01-01}}</ref><ref name="nydn" /> According to the '']'', Rayan "sacrificed his children - in a vain attempt to protect a weapons cache beneath his home."<ref name="nydn" /> He effectively put nearby civilians to risk as well.<ref name="AP" /> According to the Israeli government, Rayan's house served as an arms and ammunition warehouse and as a Hamas communications center at the time of the attack.<ref name="JPOST" /> The ] said that the many secondary explosions were triggered by the weapons stockpile stored within his house.<ref name=AP/><ref name="nypost">{{cite news|url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/01012009/news/worldnews/israel_kills_top_hamas_figure_146785.htm|title=Israel Kills Top Hamas Figure|date=2009-01-01|publisher=New York Post|accessdate=2009-01-01}}</ref><ref name="nydn" /> According to the '']'', Rayan "sacrificed his children - in a vain attempt to protect a weapons cache beneath his home."<ref name="nydn" /> He effectively put nearby civilians to risk as well.<ref name="AP" />

According to ](The Israeli Center for Human Rights Information in the Occupied Territories), even if the Israeli charge that Rayan's house was a munitions warehouse were true, the large number of civilian lives taken "renders the attack a grave breach of international humanitarian law." The NGO adds that in the immediate military context in Gaza, it was "hard to think of a definite military advantage" in killing Rayan and bombing his house that could justify killing his wives and children.<ref> ''B'Tselem'' January 4, 2009</ref> B'Tselem added that, given that the Israeli military knew or should have known that civilians had not left Rayan's house, the fact that it may have warned Rayan of the impending attack does not exempt it from responsibility for the civilian deaths.<ref> ''B'Tselem'' January 4, 2009</ref> The Gaza City based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights agreed with B'Tselem that the attack on Rayan's home, an "extra-judicial execution" according to the NGO, was a war crime.<ref> Palestinian Centre for Human Rights January 2, 2009</ref>


Rayan was the most senior Hamas member killed since ] was killed in Israeli airstrikes in 2004.<ref name="LAT">{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-gaza2-2009jan02,0,2260601.story|title=Israeli strike kills a top Hamas leader in Gaza|date=2009-01-01|publisher=Los Angeles Times|accessdate=2009-01-01}}</ref> Hamas said that Israel would pay a "heavy price" for his death.<ref name="nydn" /> Rayan was the most senior Hamas member killed since ] was killed in Israeli airstrikes in 2004.<ref name="LAT">{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-gaza2-2009jan02,0,2260601.story|title=Israeli strike kills a top Hamas leader in Gaza|date=2009-01-01|publisher=Los Angeles Times|accessdate=2009-01-01}}</ref> Hamas said that Israel would pay a "heavy price" for his death.<ref name="nydn" />

Revision as of 22:08, 10 March 2009

Nizar Rayan
Born(1959-03-06)March 6, 1959
Jabalia
DiedJanuary 1, 2009(2009-01-01) (aged 49)
Gaza City
Cause of deathAir force attack
CitizenshipPalestinian
Known forHamas leadership

Sheikh Nizar Rayan (Template:Lang-ar, also transliterated Rayyan) (March 6, 1959 – January 1, 2009) was a top Hamas leader. He served as liaison between Hamas's political leadership and its military wing, and was considered a top clerical authority within the Islamic organization. He was killed by an Israeli missile strike during the 2008–2009 Israel-Gaza conflict.

Personal life and background

Rayan was born in Jabalia, Gaza Strip on March 6, 1959. He attended universities in Saudi Arabia and Jordan, completing his PhD in Islamic studies at the Omdurman Islamic University in Sudan. Rayan then returned to the Gaza Strip and was employed in several mosques as a preacher, including the Jabalia's Imad Aqil Mosque (also known as the "Mosque of martyrs") where, from 1994, he strongly advocated suicide bombing attacks against Israel. He would eventually marry four women with whom he had at least eleven children.

Rayan became a professor of Islamic law at the Islamic University in the Gaza Strip. He had a 5,000-book library in his basement, and was a leading authority on Hadith (sayings of the Islamic prophet Muhammad). Rayan came to be considered, according to the Jerusalem Post, a "spiritual" leader of Hamas's military wing, and, arguably, Hamas's leading clerical authority after the death of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in 2004. Rayan regularly went on patrol with Hamas militia after delivering lectures at the Islamic University.

According to writer Chris Hedges, Rayan began to advocate suicide attacks and mentor suicide bombers in 1994, in the wake of a massacre of 29 Palestinian civilians by Israeli settler Baruch Goldstein. In 2001, he sent his 22-year-old son on a suicide bombing mission, which also killed two Israelis at the former Israeli settlement Elei Sinai in the Gaza Strip. Rayan is alleged to have directed and financed the 2004 Ashdod Port attack, which killed ten people. Hamas ceased suicide attacks against Israel in 2005, but Rayan advocated for their renewal after the 2008-009 Gaza conflict began.

Rayan was one of the principal architects of the 2007 Battle of Gaza, in which Fatah security forces were routed and between 116 and 400 Fatah and Hamas militia and civilians lost their lives. Hamas and Fatah have been accused of atrocities, including torture. According to a Hamas spokesperson, it's possible that the Palestinian National Authority asked Israel to kill Rayan due to his role in the Hamas-Fatah clashes. He added that Rayan was one of the main reasons why many of Mahmoud Abbas's men "did not sleep well at night."

Rayan was fundamentally opposed to the state of Israel. He proclaimed, "True Islam would never allow a Jewish state to survive in the Muslim Middle East. Israel is an impossibility. It is an offense against God." According to writer Jeffrey Goldberg, Rayan said that he believed Jews are a "cursed people" and some were transformed into pigs and apes by Allah, and that Jews must pay for murdering the prophets of Islam and "closing ears to the Messenger of Allah."

Israeli attack

Rayan was killed in an Israeli Air Force strike on 1 January 2009 during the 2008–2009 Israel-Gaza conflict. He was killed by a 2,000-pound bomb from an Israeli missile strike. The bomb also killed his four wives and 11 of their children. Rayan's four wives, and their ages at the time of their deaths, were Hiam 'Abdul Rahman Rayan, 46; Iman Khalil Rayan, 46; Nawal Isma'il Rayan, 40; and Sherine Sa'id Rayan, 25. The 11 Rayan children, and their ages when they died, were As'ad, 2; Usama Ibn Zaid, 3; 'Aisha, 3; Reem, 4; Miriam, 5; Halima, 5; 'Abdul Rahman, 6; Abdul Qader, 12; Aaya, 12; Zainab, 15; and Ghassan, 16.

Rayan was preaching in a local mosque the day before he was killed and advocated renewal of suicide attacks on Israel, declaring, according to the New York Daily News, "Our only language with the Jew is through the gun". He also appeared on Al-Aqsa TV proclaiming, "God willing, the evil state, the Jewish state will not break the resistance.

Unlike other Hamas leaders at risk of being targeted by Israel, Rayan did not go into hiding after the armed conflict with Israel began in late December. According to a Hamas spokesperson and Rayyan's son, the IDF warned Rayan, by contacting his cell phone, that an attack was imminent. However, an Israeli military spokesperson "could not give details or specify whether Rayyan's family had been warned."

According to the Israeli government, Rayan's house served as an arms and ammunition warehouse and as a Hamas communications center at the time of the attack. The Israeli military said that the many secondary explosions were triggered by the weapons stockpile stored within his house. According to the New York Daily News, Rayan "sacrificed his children - in a vain attempt to protect a weapons cache beneath his home." He effectively put nearby civilians to risk as well.

According to B'Tselem(The Israeli Center for Human Rights Information in the Occupied Territories), even if the Israeli charge that Rayan's house was a munitions warehouse were true, the large number of civilian lives taken "renders the attack a grave breach of international humanitarian law." The NGO adds that in the immediate military context in Gaza, it was "hard to think of a definite military advantage" in killing Rayan and bombing his house that could justify killing his wives and children. B'Tselem added that, given that the Israeli military knew or should have known that civilians had not left Rayan's house, the fact that it may have warned Rayan of the impending attack does not exempt it from responsibility for the civilian deaths. The Gaza City based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights agreed with B'Tselem that the attack on Rayan's home, an "extra-judicial execution" according to the NGO, was a war crime.

Rayan was the most senior Hamas member killed since Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi was killed in Israeli airstrikes in 2004. Hamas said that Israel would pay a "heavy price" for his death.

References

  1. الغارات الإسرائيلية على قطاع غزة تودي بحياة قيادي بارز في حماس (alarabiya)
  2. ^ "Profile of a professor who was prepared for martyrdom". The Independent. 2009-01-02. Retrieved 2009-01-04.
  3. ^ No tears for Hamas leader in Ramallah, Jerusalem Post, 01-01-2009.
  4. ^ "Israel kills senior Hamas figure". AlJazeera.Net. 1 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
  5. Lucky few leave, Gaza struggles on canada.com January 2, 2009
  6. 'I didn't see any of my girls, just a pile of bricks' UK Guardian December 30, 2009
  7. Lost in the Rubble Truthdig January 2, 2009
  8. 'I didn't see any of my girls, just a pile of bricks' UK Guardian December 30, 2009
  9. "Top Hamas figure killed in Israeli airstrike; Israel demands monitors as part of a Gaza truce". MSNBC. 2009-01-01. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
  10. ^ "Israel fells key Hamas strongman, escalating conflict; says it's ready for ground invasion" New York Daily News January 1, 2009 Cite error: The named reference "nydn" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  11. "Israel destroys Hamas homes, flattens Gaza mosque". Yahoo News. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
  12. ^ "IAF kills one of Hamas' top five leaders in Gaza". Haaretz. 2009-01-01. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
  13. Nizar Rayan UK Guardian January 3, 2009
  14. ^ "Israeli strike kills senior Hamas leader". Reuters. 2009-01-01. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
  15. Lost in the Rubble Truthdig January 2, 2009
  16. ^ "Obituary: Nizar Rayyan" BBC January 1, 2009 Cite error: The named reference "bbc" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  17. ^ "Israeli strike kills a top Hamas leader in Gaza". Los Angeles Times. 2009-01-01. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
  18. ^ "Strike Kills Hamas Leader as Israel Demands Global Monitors for Truce". FOX News. 2009-01-01. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
  19. ^ "Israel Kills Top Hamas Figure". New York Post. 2009-01-01. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
  20. ^ "Hamas leader, 20 Palestinians killed in IAF strikes". Ynet. 2009-01-01. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
  21. "Profile: Nizar Rayyan". Al-Jazeera. 2009-01-04. Retrieved 2009-01-04.
  22. "Hamas Senior Official Rayyan Killed in Israeli Strike". Bloomberg. 2009-01-01. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
  23. Hardline Hamas leader killed in air strike on Gaza home UK Telegraph January 1, 2009
  24. Exposing the bitter truth of Gaza carnage The Age (Australia) June 23, 2007
  25. "Gaza-Westbank – ICRC Bulletin No. 22/2007" Reuters June 15, 2007
  26. ^ Goldberg, Jeffrey (2009-01-02). "Nizar Rayyan of Hamas on God's Hatred of Jews". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2009-01-04.
  27. Israel raids kill Hamas leader, take Gaza death toll past 400 AFP, 1 January 2009
  28. Haaretz Correspondents and Agencies, Amos Harel and Yoav Stern (2 January 2009). "IDF targets senior Hamas figures". Retrieved 2009-01-02. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  29. ^ The Associated Press (January 1, 2009). "Child casualties mount in beseiged Gaza". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
  30. IOF Offensive on the Gaza Strip Continues for the 7th Consecutive Day Palestinian Centre for Human Rights January 15, 2009
  31. Abdulrahman, Mohammed (2009-01-01). "Hamas has gone underground". Radio Netherlands Worldwide. Retrieved 2009-01-04.
  32. "Hardline Hamas leader killed in air strike on Gaza home". The Telegraph. January 1, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
  33. Kershner, Isabel (2009-01-02). "As bombing continues, Israel allows some foreigners to leave Gaza". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2009-01-04. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  34. The killing of Nizar Rayan and 15 members of his family B'Tselem January 4, 2009
  35. The killing of Nizar Rayan and 15 members of his family B'Tselem January 4, 2009
  36. IOF Offensive on the Gaza Strip Continues for the 7th Consecutive Day Palestinian Centre for Human Rights January 2, 2009

External links

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