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The glorification of martyrdom in Palestinian society refers to the veneration of Palestinians who have died in political violence related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It has become a widespread practice in Palestinian society, particularly since the early 1990s. The concept of Istishhad, signifying martyrdom or self-sacrifice in the service of Allah, is rooted in Islamic scripture and has become a formative ethos of Palestinian Islam in the conflict with Israel.

Militant groups like Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad view martyrdom as the pinnacle of jihad and the highest form of sacrifice for the Palestinian cause. This ethos forms the basis for acts of terrorism, including suicide bombings. During the 2023 Hamas–Israel war, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh praised martyrs as "the price of freedom, liberation, and independence."

The glorification of “martyrs” or “shaheeds” appears in educational materials, visual media, community events, ceremonies, leaflets and posters. It has also extended to indoctrination of children from a young age, and societal expectations of mothers. This culture of martyrdom has inspired suicide attacks, contributed to a cycle of violence and impacted on the psychological well-being of Palestinian children.

Historical background

The concept of martyrdom, known in Arabic as Istishhad, has played a significant role in Palestinian society, particularly since the early 1990s. Rooted in Islamic scripture, self-sacrifice has become a formative ethos of Palestinian Islam in the struggle against Israel. It has also become a moral justification for Palestinian suicide bombings.

In the Palestinian context, martyrdom has been portrayed as a solemn obligation for Muslim believers. This duty entails self-sacrifice for God and the nation of Islam through actions against the “Zionist enemy”. The death of a martyr, "shaheed" in Arabic, is celebrated as a holy and noble sacrifice, serving as an inspiration for others.

Hamas, an Islamist militant organization designated by many countries as a terrorist group, upholds martyrdom as the highest expression of jihad and Islamic belief. Hamas asserts that the use of suicide bombers has empowered the Palestinian people strategically, attributing it to "Palestinian innovative genius” (‘abqariyyat al-ibda‘ al-filastini). Hamas officials have rejected claims that suicide attacks harm the Palestinian cause, asserting that “martyrdom operations” reflect the triumph of the Muslim soul, faith, and spirituality over the Israeli or Western “technological mindset.”

In the 1990s, the ethos of self-sacrifice became deeply embedded in Palestinian collective consciousness through indoctrination and suicide bombings orchestrated by Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other militant groups.

During the Second Intifada (2000–2005), self-sacrifice became even more deeply rooted in Palestinian society. Nationalistic factions aligned with the Palestinian National Authority also embraced it as a political tool to influence public opinion. Perpetrators of suicide bombings were glorified as heroes. These actions of self-sacrifice were perceived as a method to reclaim lost dignity, both on a national and familial level. Families of the martyrs gained social standing and material support.

Palestinian officials have emphasized the role of sacrifice and martyrdom as a means of gaining international attention and achieving political goals. Hassan Al-Kashef, Director-General of the PA Information Ministry, once stated that “The only way to impose our conditions is inevitably through our blood. Had it not been for this blood, the world would have never been interested in us ... the power of the Intifada is our only weapon.”

Education

In studies on Palestinian textbooks, researchers have identified content containing anti-Semitic themes, hate speech, and incitement to violence, martyrdom, and jihad. According to a report commissioned by the EU-commissioned Georg Eckert Institute, in Palestinian textbooks, "Violence against Israeli civilians, such as that perpetrated in attacks by Palestinian organizations in the 1970s, is not condemned but rather portrayed as a legitimate method of the struggle during that period; terrorist acts, such as that committed by Dalal al-Mughrabi are recounted as examples of self-sacrificing ‘resistance’."

Palestinian textbooks have explicitly addressed the "appreciation of the concept of martyrdom and martyrs" as a learning objective.

According to a report from IMPACT-SE, students are exposed to textbooks that glorify violent depictions of suicide bombings, showing Palestinians cutting the throats of enemy soldiers and wearing explosive belts. A book on Islamic education published by the Palestinian Ministry of Education, dedicates a chapter to "martyrdom," emphasizing honor, glory, and guaranteed entry into paradise for those who sacrifice themselves. The book implies that those who do not engage in such actions are weak and includes an exercise prompting students to write essays on terrorist attacks carried out by Palestinians.

From 2019 to 2023, the European Parliament passed resolutions condemning the Palestinian Authority for hateful textbook content, linking it to terrorism. A resolution in 2023 emphasized the need for unbiased and impartial education to counter the involvement of teenagers in terrorist activities.

The Palestinian curriculum places a strong emphasis on rote learning, including the memorization of poems and songs that glorify self-sacrifice. Successful performances, as evidenced in classroom videos, earn approval from teachers. Abd al-Rahim Mahmud's poem "The Martyr," featured in some textbooks, includes the line, "I see my death without my stolen right and without my country as a desired one."

In 2006, a study conducted by a Palestinian psychiatrist in Gaza revealed that among children aged 12 to 14, 36% of boys and 17% of girls expressed a desire to become martyrs when they reach the age of 18.

In 2017, Hamas aired a children's TV program in Gaza, showcasing young children praising suicide attacks and expressing a desire to sacrifice themselves for the liberation of Jerusalem and Palestine. The program featured the grandchildren of Umm Nidal, a former Hamas MP, who celebrated her sons' suicide attacks against Israelis. A granddaughter expressed pride in her father's actions and said she hoped to become a martyr for Hamas.

Teachers' guides incorporate depictions of jihad as an obligation, glorifying martyrdom as a noble sacrifice accompanied by the promise of heavenly rewards for those who die.

In November 2023, a kindergarten in Beit Awwa released videos depicting children engaging in simulated military drills with toy guns, depicting the killing of IDF soldiers, and simulating a mock funeral for a child “martyr”. Signs on the walls of Hamas-run kindergartens read: "The children of the kindergarten are the shahids of tomorrow."

Mental health implications

The incorporation of material on martyrdom in the Palestinian education system has had an influence on the psyche of Palestinian children. In 2000, it was reported that one in three Palestinian children experienced psycho-social issues affecting their school performance, with 73% of 6 to 11 year olds in the northern Gaza Strip suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These experiences contribute to increased neuroticism, high-risk behavior, and low self-esteem, potentially influencing self-destructive behaviors like suicide missions. The Gaza Community Mental Health Program has reported an increase in children seeking help, sparking concerns about the lasting impact of martyrdom indoctrination.

Perceptions of motherhood

The Palestinian national narrative encourages women to instill the national ideology of martyrdom in their children. Yasser Arafat often referred to the Palestinian woman's womb as "the best weapon of the Palestinian people." A scholar of political violence and terrorism writes that in Palestinian society, “the mother is expected to not only continuously birth children – engaging in an ongoing demographic contest with the Israeli populace – but eventually sacrifice those children for the nationalist agenda”. He also says that “a culture that justifies and promotes death for nationhood” has been perpetuated by Palestinian mothers, and that Palestinian mothers guide their children to become fighters and encourage them to sacrifice themselves for the sake of God and Palestine.

According to a study by Bilal Tawfiq Hamamra, wives and sisters are recognized in Palestinian society for their role in nurturing martyrs. A communique of the Unified National Leadership of the Uprising, a Palestinian grassroots organization active during the First Intifada, declares: “Praise to the suffering wives and to the sisters who took leave of their loved ones heroically and steadfastly, and who uphold the pledge to raise a generation imbued with faith and with the spirit of jihad, in order to continue the mission.” In alignment with this sentiment, Umm Nidal, a Palestinian woman and activist widely recognized among Palestinians as the "Mother of Martyrs" due to her endorsement of her sons' participation in attacks against Israel, conveyed her joy in raising sons willing to sacrifice themselves for Palestine, foreseeing their admission to Paradise: "I encouraged all my sons to die a martyr’s death, and I wish this even for myself."

Naming of schools and public buildings

In May 2017, the Palestinian Authority, through its organization Women's Affairs Technical Committee (WATC), named a women's center in Burqa after Dalal Mughrabi, the ringleader of the Coastal Road massacre in 1978, in which 38 Israeli civilians were killed, hailing her as a role model. The center was constructed with support of the Norwegian government and UN Women. In response, Norway's Foreign Minister called for the withdrawal of Norwegian funding and the removal of its logo from the building so as not to be associated with terrorism. The United Nations similarly condemned the naming as "glorification of terrorism" and demanded the removal of its logo from the building. Following investigations by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which revealed that WATC had withheld crucial information, Denmark terminated its working relationship with the organization and ceased funding 23 other NGOs in the Palestinian territories.

In 2018, Belgium suspended education aid projects with the Palestinian Authority after discovering that a school it funded in Hebron had been renamed the Dalal Mughrabi Elementary School. The Belgian Foreign Ministry had financed the construction of the school in 2012 and 2013, only to later learn that it was renamed without their knowledge. Belgium also temporarily suspended two other school-building projects.

Social events

After the 2002 Passover massacre, in which 30 Israelis were killed during the Passover seder, Hamas’ dawah society, responsible for Islamic outreach, capitalized on the attack to radicalize and recruit future operatives. This included creating posters glorifying the attack and naming social events, like a soccer tournament, after the suicide bomber Abdel Aziz Basset Odeh.

Media

Palestinian martyrs are featured highly in the Palestinian media, in television, radio, newspapers, literature, internet, leaflets, posters, videos, and songs. These appearances in the media are crafted and disseminated by organizations that endorse and carry out “martyrdom operations,” such as the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. The strategic manipulation of media by these organizations plays a pivotal role in endorsing and glorifying martyrdom within Palestinian society. This involves shaping the identity of martyrs through published texts online, along with the distribution of visual and audio materials. These materials mold public opinion and enhance the organization's profile in the competitive landscape of armed groups.

Posters

According to Abu Hashhash, “Posters of Martyrs, produced by different Palestinian political parties, are now the leading form through which the concept of martyrdom is represented and communicated.”

Posters contribute to the broader narrative, shaping perceptions, and reinforcing the cultural glorification of martyrdom. Mosques affiliated with Hamas often serve as platforms for propaganda, displaying posters and pamphlets that glorify suicide bombers and incarcerated Hamas militants. An example is the al-Ein mosque in al-Bireh, raided by Israeli forces in September 2003, where posters commemorating Hamas suicide bomber Ramez Fahmi Izz al-Dina Salim adorned the front door, walls, and notice boards. Salim, responsible for a Jerusalem café bombing in September 2003, was depicted in front of the al-Aqsa mosque with a caption invoking the mosque's plea for assistance. The raid also uncovered Hamas propaganda, including leaflets advocating "spectacular suicide bombing attacks" against U.S. forces in Iraq.

Regardless of the martyr's political affiliation, age, or gender, three essential and consistent elements may be present in posters: a photograph of the martyr, an 'obituary' text typically featuring a Qur'anic verse, and various symbols.

Social media

Shaheeds are revered in Palestinian social networks, where content memorializing them and praising their heroism is prevalent. Shaheeds are often honored by the creation of a fan page on social networks. Family members share pictures, participants express their grief, and eulogies are posted, generating a following of thousands. Such platforms are also used to disseminate provocative content. Additionally, shaheeds are commemorated in songs that laud their heroism, while Photoshop images depict them against heavenly backgrounds, accompanied by captions like "The shaheeds do not die, rather their blood adorns the revolution.”

Symbolism

In Palestinian culture, there is a custom of re-contextualizing martyr funerals as weddings. Instead of framing the death of a martyr as a sorrowful event, Palestinian myth portrays it as a wedding ceremony where the deceased is symbolically wedded to the land of Palestine. This transformation emphasizes the symbolic act of turning a funeral into a wedding as a representation of their collective struggle and resilience.

Financial support

The Palestinian Authority Martyrs Fund, administered by the Palestinian Authority (PA), provides monthly cash stipends to the families of Palestinians involved in politically motivated violence against Israel, including those killed, injured, or imprisoned. The fund also extends disbursements to bystanders and Palestinians incarcerated in Israeli jails. In 2016, the PA disbursed approximately NIS 1.1 billion (US$303 million) in stipends and additional benefits to the families of individuals referred to as 'martyrs.

In comparative scholarship

Scholarship comparing suicide bombing in Pakistan and Palestine, found that post-martyrdom acknowledgment and the glorification of suicide martyrs is less widespread in Pakistan. Palestinians tend to gather a more extensive collection of oral, written, pictorial and mythical material related to this phenomenon.

The culture of martyrdom and death leads to linguistic twists. For example, Hamas leader Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi likened martyrdom to the "industry of life", and the claim of Ahmad Bahr, deputy speaker of the PNA Legislative Council, that "martyrdom is life, a life of heroism and valor." These expressions highlight a shared element of glorifying violence and death between contemporary radical Islamic movements and Fascism, despite their fundamental differences, as exemplified by the Spanish civil war slogan, “Viva la Muerte!”, or “Long-live death”.

Events and reactions

• In 2005, the Palestinian daily Al-Ayyam published a special supplement entitled "What Did Hanadi Say", consisting of poems calling for Jihad and honoring a suicide bomber that killed 21 civilians in a restaurant in Haifa.
• In April 2010, a militant that orchestrated suicide bombing that caused the deaths of approximately 90 Israelis, many of them civilians, was commemorated by naming a street in Ramallah. Prior to that streets in Jenin and Beit Lahia as well as square in Jericho were also named after him. In response, Israel, the United States and Canada condemned the Palestinian Authority. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office called it an "outrageous glorification of terrorism by the Palestinian Authority" while a U.S. State Department spokesperson stated "we also strongly condemn the glorification of terrorists. Honoring terrorists who have murdered innocent civilians either by official statements or by the dedication of public places hurts peace efforts and must end."
• In March 2011, a suicide bomber that killed an 81 years old man, and injured more than 100 civilians, was commemorated by a football tournament of a Fatah youth center.
• In 2014, it was claimed by The New York Times, that the picture of the founder and Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, and the masterminded of several suicide bombings in Israel, and a key player in a coalition of groups rejecting the Oslo process, is more prominent than that of the Hamas prime minister in some Gaza precincts.
• In May 2017, a militant who took part in the 1978 Coastal Road massacre, where 38 Israeli civilians, including 13 children, were killed, was commemorated on a women's center by an agency of the Palestinian Authority. The center was built with the aid of the government of Norway and UN Women. Norway's Foreign Minister demanded that Norway's funding for the building be repaid and its logo removed from the building. He said that "Norway will not allow itself to be associated with institutions that take the names of terrorists in this way". The United Nations also condemned the naming as "glorification of terrorism" and demanded its logo be removed from the building. The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs started its own investigations of the Palestinian Authority WATC and found it had withheld central information about the naming of the centre and terminated the working relationship with WATC. As a result of the findings, Denmark ceased funding 23 other NGOs in Palestine.

See also

• Education in the State of Palestine
• Islamist terrorism
• Use of child suicide bombers by Palestinian militant groups
• List of Palestinian suicide attacks

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• Suicide bombing in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
• Islamic terrorism
• Anti-Zionism in the Palestinian territories
• Islamism in the State of Palestine
• Palestinian political violence