Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi

Rantisi was born in Yibna, near Jaffa on 23 October 1947. In the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, his family fled to the Gaza Strip. In 1956, when he was nine, Israeli soldiers killed his uncle in Khan Younis: as he explained to Joe Sacco, this fact was very important for his future life.[4] He studied pediatric medicine and genetics at Egypt's, Alexandria University, graduating first in his class. He was a certified physician. In his time in Egypt he became a deeply convicted member of the Muslim Brotherhood. In 1976, he returned to Gaza to teach parasitology and genetics at the Islamic University.[5]

In 1987, four Palestinian civilians of the Jabalya refugee camp were killed in a traffic accident that involved Israeli settlers and soldiers. Rantisi joined Sheikh Ahmad Yassin and Salah Shehadeh, among others, encouraging people to protest the occupation, after mosque services. This was the start of the First Intifada, which lasted five years. Rantisi became a popular organizer and leader whose efforts helped the formation of Hamas. [6][7] In December 1992, Rantissi was deported to southern Lebanon, as part of the expulsion of 416 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives, and emerged as the general spokesman of the expellees.[8]

On 8 June 2003, Rantisi was responsible for directing the Hamas-led attack in which four Israeli soldiers were killed at the Erez Checkpoint in the Gaza Strip. On 10 June 2003, Rantisi survived an Israeli helicopter attack on a car in which he was traveling.[9] He was lightly wounded in the attack, which killed a bodyguard of Rantisi, a civilian and wounded at least 25 others.[10]

On 23 March 2004, Rantisi was named leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, following the killing of Ahmed Yassin by Israeli forces. On 27 March 2004, Rantisi addressed 5,000 supporters in Gaza. He declared the then US president George W. Bush to be an "enemy of Muslims". "America declared war against God. Sharon declared war against God and God declared war against America, Bush and Sharon. The war of God continues against them and I can see the victory coming up from the land of Palestine by the hand of Hamas."[11]

Israeli AH-64 Apache helicopter

On 17 April 2004, Rantisi was assassinated by the Israeli Air Force, when they fired Hellfire missiles from an AH-64 Apache helicopter at his car. Two others, a bodyguard named Akram Nassar and Rantisi's 27-year-old son Mohammed, were also killed in the attack, and four bystanders wounded. Israeli army radio stated that this was the first opportunity to target Rantisi, without significant collateral damage, since he took the leadership of Hamas,[12] alleging that he had surrounded himself with human shields since the killing of Yassin.[13]

Rantisi was married to Jamila Abdallah Taha al-Shanti, who was elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council in 2006; they had six children.[16]

"The Israelis will not know security. We will fight them until the liberation of Palestine, the whole of Palestine."[17]

"All the land of Palestine is a part of the Islamic faith and the Caliph Omar bin al-Khattab declared it for all Muslims. Therefore, no individual or group has the right to sell it or give it up."[18]

"If Israel was established in Britain, would you accept compromise?", to British journalist Derek Brown, June 1993.[19]

When asked 'Are you afraid to die?', He replied: It's death either by killing or by cancer. We are all waiting for the last day of our lives. Nothing will change. If it is by Apache or by cardiac arrest, I prefer to die by Apache.[20][21]

• Hamas
• Ahmed Yassin

• What the doctor orders – Interview by Amira Hass Archived 1 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine (Haaretz)