Slain Hamas Chief Called to ‘Build Upon’ Oct. 7 ‘Victory,’ Praised Gaza Donations as ‘Financial Jihad’

Hamas terror organization political chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was reportedly killed early Wednesday, had called on Muslim leaders worldwide to “hold on” to the October 7 “victory” and “build upon it.”

He also appealed for monetary support for Gaza — which he described as “financial Jihad” — while declaring “the time has come for the Jihad of the swords.” 

Speaking at the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) conference in Doha, Qatar in January, Hamas’s Qatar-based politburo chief addressed the role of Islamic scholars globally in the wake of the October 7 massacre — the deadliest attack against Jewish people since the Nazi Holocaust.

In remarks translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) which specializes in covering media in the region, Haniyeh called on Muslims to support “resistance” efforts.

“The [Islamic] nation has an important role. The scholars of our nation have a pivotal role, on two fronts: The first front is supporting the resistance,” he said. “Brothers and sisters, the whole world is pouring weapons on the occupation. The whole world is not afraid to do so. There are air bridges from multiple capital cities which reach the occupation, as well as aircraft, and so on and so forth.” 

“This has become an individual obligatory [Islamic] duty, which we must perform,” he added.

While discussing the concept of “verbal Jihad,” Haniyeh insisted “the time has come for Jihad of the swords.” 

“This is the battle for Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and not the battle of the Palestinian people, or Gaza, or the people in Gaza,” he explained. “The people of Gaza constitute our frontline trench for defense, as well as for offense.” 

“They are not there only to defend, but also to attack,” he added.

Referring to the October 7 massacre as a Palestinian offensive, the Hamas leader urged the scholars not to let the moment “slip away.” 

“The time has come. Oh, sons of our Islamic nation, oh, free people of the world, there are very few historic moments like this. Do not let this moment slip away,” he said. “Our nation and our Islamic scholars have very few historic moments like this.”

“Do not let this moment slip away, because if it does, we do not know how many decades will pass before such a moment returns,” he added.

Maintaining that “time is on our side,” Haniyeh explained that initial U.S. international pressure against Palestinian support had failed:

At the beginning of this aggression, the Americans were waving a big stick in the face of the world, and even in the Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim communities in some European countries — some of their prominent Palestinian or Arab figures were summoned and were told not to raise the Palestinian flag or do anything. But the language of the same countries has now changed. Why has it changed? Because of the [Palestinian] steadfastness. Were it not for this steadfastness, the conscience of the world would have been crushed. 

He then called to expand on the “victory” of the massacre which drew parallels to brutal scenes from the Nazi-era Holocaust.

“Brothers, we should build on this steadfastness,” he said. “We should hold on to the victory that took place on October 7 and build upon it.”

Haniyeh also urged the scholars to form delegations for both local engagement and international diplomacy, focusing on Palestinian issues and stopping “aggression” against Gaza:

The Islamic scholars can establish groups and delegations on multiple levels. These delegations would meet the officials of the countries in which they live — government officials, political parties, civil society, institutions — and fulfill their duty in their own countries. They can even lead the masses [in protests]. That’s for one. Secondly, [we should] form special delegations that will meet with the heads of state in the Arab, Muslim, and even Western countries. They should visit countries and talk about Palestine, Jerusalem, Gaza, and the need to stop the aggression against the Gaza Strip.

Lastly, the billionaire Hamas chief called for donating money to his cause, which he dubbed “financial Jihad.”

“This is not just a humanitarian issue, despite its immense importance and Gaza’s need for any aid it can get. This is financial Jihad,” he declared. “We should revive this principle of Islamic jurisprudence in our Islamic nation — the notion of waging Jihad with one’s life and one’s money.”  

In October, Hamas political official Ghazi Hamad told Lebanese television that the terror group intends to repeat its October 7 attack until Israel is annihilated.

That same month, Haniyeh said the “blood” of Gaza’s women, children, and elderly is needed to “awaken” Palestinian resolve, continuing his custom of calling for Palestinian sacrifice from the comfort of his luxury home in distant Qatar.

His comments came only three months after the worst terrorist attack in Israel’s history, which saw some 3,000 terrorists burst into Israel by land, sea, and air and gun down participants at an outdoor music festival while going door to door hunting for Jewish men, women, and children in local towns who were then subject to torture, rape, execution, immolation, and kidnapping.

The massacre resulted in nearly 1,200 dead inside the Jewish state, over 4,800 more wounded, and at least 240 hostages of all ages taken — of which nearly 140 remain captive. The vast majority of the victims are civilians and include dozens of American citizens.

As the brutal events unfolded, Haniyeh along with other Hamas leaders were filmed watching coverage of the invasion with smiles as they performed a “prostration of gratitude” over the successful killing and torture of hundreds of innocents.

“Let us prostrate. These images were … See the guys with a new jeep. Look. Look. The Israeli jeep … Let’s do it. This is a prostration of gratitude for this victory,” Haniyeh says. “Allah, please bestow your support and glory on our people and nation. Allah Akbar! Allah Akbar! Allah be praised.”

Haniyeh, whose wealth had burgeoned since Hamas’ 2006 electoral victory, fueled by the group’s control over Gaza’s economy and taxation of goods, had long drawn criticism for his luxurious lifestyle in Qatar, which stands in sharp contrast with the poverty in Gaza. 

The senior Hamas leader, who once served as prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, had long faced accusations of sacrificing his own people, all from the comfort of a luxury hotel in the far-off affluent Gulf country.

“Hamas is the only ‘army’ in history that has planned its operations deliberately to have its own civilians killed by its enemy. Its whole strategy is based on that,” wrote former commander of British forces in Afghanistan Colonel Richard Kemp.

On Wednesday, Haniyeh was reportedly killed in Tehran, after the presidential inauguration of new president Masoud Pezeshkian and after having met with “Supreme Leader” Ali Khamenei, together with the leaders of other terrorist groups, such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Houthis.

Haniyeh, who once called Al-Qaeda leader and 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden an “Arab holy warrior” whose assassination was “a continuation of the American policy based on oppression and the shedding of Muslim and Arab blood,” was favored significantly by Palestinians over Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.