On November 17, 2023, Palestinian sources reported that Hamas official Ahmad Bahr was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza.[1] Bahr, 76, was a member of Hamas's political bureau and former deputy chairman of the Palestinian Legislative Council. Khaled Abu Hilal, the Secretary-General of the Palestinian Freedom Movement, was separately reportedly killed in an airstrike.[2]
Slain Hamas official Ahmad Bahr (see MEMRI TV clip no. 1553)
MEMRI TV has translated numerous clips of Bahr's statements, including several in which he glorified waging jihad and martyrdom, praised Palestinian martyrs, and called for the annihilation of Americans and Jews "without leaving a single one."[3]
Hamas official Ahmad Bahr calls for the annihilation of all Americans and Jews in an August 2012 sermon (see MEMRI TV clip no. 3538)
MEMRI TV has also translated clips of Khaled Abu Hilal calling for attacks on Israeli individuals and embassies in Europe and the U.S., and praising Palestinians who seek martyrdom, including Members of Parliament, women, and children.
Khaled Abu Hilal, the Secretary-General of the Palestinian Freedom Movement (see MEMRI TV clip no. 2334)
The following are clips of such statements made by the two slain officials from the MEMRI TV archive.
Hamas MP Ahmad Bahr At Gaza Conference On 'Global Plots To Destroy The Muslim Family': The UN CEDAW Agreement Is Evil, Seeks To Destroy Arab, Muslim Society – August 30, 2023
On August 30, 2023, Palestine Today TV (Palestinian Islamic Jihad) aired the Gaza Conference on "Global Plots to Destroy the Muslim Family", at which speakers criticized the UN's Committee on Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) agreement. Hamas MP Ahmad Bahr said that the CEDAW agreement is an "evil act" that seeks to destroy Arab and Muslim societies under the guise of slogans such as women's liberation, social freedom, and "other tools of destruction."
To view the clip, click here or below:
Hamas MP Ahmad Bahr: "We view CEDAW as an evil act, and as an international effort to destroy Arab and Muslim societies and the structure of the family within them, under shiny slogans about equality between men and women, the liberation of women, reclaiming women's rights, spreading social freedom, and other tools of destruction."
Hamas Parliament Speaker Ahmad Bahr: The Resistance Will Take The Life Of Anybody Who Tries To Disarm It, Including Trump Or Netanyahu; The Downfall Of The Deal Of The Century Will Come – January 29, 2020
Hamas Parliament Speaker Ahmad Bahr said in a January 29, 2020 address that aired on Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas-Gaza) that the Palestinian resistance has a long hand that can reach anyone who is tempted to mess with the rights and holy places of the Palestinians. He said that the downfall of the Deal of the Century, U.S. President Donald Trump, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, and all the schemes and conspiracies against the Palestinian people and cause will come and he emphasized that the resistance will take the life of anybody who tries to disarm it, including Trump or Netanyahu. He added: "[The Quran says:] 'Fight them. Allah will punish them by your hands... Kill them wherever you may find them and drive them away from wherever they drove you away.'"
To view the clip, click here or below:
Ahmad Bahr: "The resistance has a long hand that can reach far and wide to anyone who is tempted to mess with our holy places and our rights.
[...]
"Allah willing, the downfall of the Deal of the Century will come. The downfall of the schemes and conspiracies against our people and our cause will come, as will the downfall of Trump and the downfall of Netanyahu. On behalf of our Palestinian people everywhere, we declare: Whoever tries to take away the weapons of the resistance – the resistance will take his life, even if it is Trump or Netanyahu.
"I'll say it once again. On behalf of our Palestinian people everywhere, we declare: Whoever tries to take away the weapons of the resistance – the resistance will take his life, even if it is Trump or Netanyahu.
"[The Quran says:] 'Fight them. Allah will punish them by your hands, and will disgrace them, and give you victory over them, and satisfy the breasts of a believing people.' [It also says:] 'Kill them wherever you may find them, and drive them away from wherever they drove you away. And Allah will surely support those who support Him. Indeed Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might.'"
Hamas Official Sheikh Ahmad Bahr: 'Criminal' Trump Is Digging His Own Grave – Scenes Of Gaza 'Return March' – May 13, 2018
Hamas official Sheikh Ahmad Bahr, former deputy speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, said that Trump was "digging his own grave" by moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. Sheikh Bahr added that "the land of Palestine will explode under the feet of this criminal." He was speaking on May 11 at one of the venues of the "return march," in the central Gaza Strip.
To view the clip, click here or below:
Ahmad Bahr: "We say to the idiot trying to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem that he is digging his own grave. The land of Palestine will explode under the feet of this criminal."
Hamas Official Ahmad Bahr: On Women's Day, We Salute Jihad-Fighting Palestinian Women Like [Suicide Bomber] Rim Al-Riyashi – March 8, 2017
Hamas official Ahmad Bahr, deputy chair of the Palestinian Legislative Committee, said that while Europe celebrates the woman on International Women's Day, its men sell their wives "like merchandise." He went on to say: "We salute the Jihad-fighting Palestinian woman, who tends to the martyr and tends to her husband, and perhaps will become a martyr herself," recalling Rim Al-Riyashi, who carried out a suicide attack against Israelis in 2004. Bahr's address was broadcast on Al-Aqsa TV on March 9.
To view the clip, click here or below:
Ahmad Bahr: "The Palestinian woman is held in esteem. She is a wife, a daughter, a sister, and a grandmother. The Palestinian woman is held in esteem in Islam - in our religion, our moral values, and our faith. Every year, on March 8, the world celebrates International Woman's Day, a holiday invented by Europe. Let me say, in a nutshell, that Europe celebrates the woman, but at the same time, it kills women. It celebrates the woman, but as you know, the [European] man sells his wife in front of the whole world, as if she is merchandise to be bought and sold.
"In the West, where they are celebrating the woman today, they want to present women naked in halls and stores, in order to attract customers. In Islam, in contrast, the woman is respected. As the Prophet Muhammad said, women are the sisters of men.
"Therefore, on Women's Day, we salute the Jihad-fighting Palestinian woman, who tends to the martyr and tends to her husband, and perhaps will become a martyr for the sake of Allah herself, like the Jihad-fighting sister (suicide bomber) Rim al-Riyashi, who sacrificed herself for the sake of Palestine. The woman, who is being honored today, serves, makes sacrifices, and maintains her ribat for the sake of Allah."
Hamas Official Ahmad Bahr Preaches For The Annihilation Of Jews And Americans – August 10, 2012
Following are excerpts from a sermon delivered by Deputy Speaker of the Hamas Parliament Ahmad Bahr, which aired on Al-Aqsa TV on Aug 10, 2012.
To view the clip, click here or below:
Ahmad Bahr: "If the enemy sets foot on a single square inch of Islamic land, Jihad becomes an individual duty, incumbent on every Muslim, male or female. A woman may set out [on Jihad] without her husband's permission, and a servant without his master's permission. Why? In order to annihilate those Jews.
[...]
"Oh Allah, destroy the Jews and their supporters. Oh Allah, destroy the Americans and their supporters. Oh Allah, count them one by one, and kill them all, without leaving a single one."
Deputy Speaker Of Hamas Parliament Ahmad Bahr: We Will Sweep The Siblings Of Pigs And Apes Out Of Our Land – September 23, 2011
Following are excerpts from a Friday sermon delivered by Ahmad Bahr, deputy speaker of the Hamas parliament, which aired on Al-Aqsa TV on September 23, 2011.
To view the clip, click here or below:
Ahmad Bahr: "Allah said: 'Your Lord said that he would send against them, till the Day of Judgment, those who would afflict them with cruel torment. The Lord is quick in retribution, but he is also Most Forgiving and Most Merciful.' Allah Akbar!
"The commentators said with regard to this blessed verse that Allah would impose the nation of Muhammad upon the Jews until the Day of Judgment, when they would be defeated and Allah would transform them, just as He transformed them [into apes and pigs] when they disobeyed Him. That is why Allah imposed the nation of Muhammad, and the Jihad-waging Palestinian people, upon those siblings of apes and pigs, until we sweep them out of our land and our holy places."
Hamas PLC Speaker Ahmad Bahr: 2.5 Million Virgins Await The Prophets, The Righteous, And The Martyrs In A Single Palace In The Garden Of Eden – September 4, 2010
Following are excerpts from a speech delivered by Hamas PLC Speaker Ahmad Bahr, which aired on Al-Aqsa TV on September 5, 2010.
To view the clip, click here or below:
Ahmad Bahr: "It is said that 'Omar [Ibn Al-Khattab] wished to become a martyr. It is said that one day, 'Omar addressed the people: 'In the Garden of Eden, there is a palace – hear me well, brothers – with 500 gates. At every gate, there are 5,000 black-eyed virgins.' Brothers, 500 multiplied by 5,000 is 2.5 million.
[...]
"He said that only prophets may enter this palace. He looked at the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad, and said: 'Blessings, oh Messenger of Allah. Only the prophets and the righteous may enter the palace.' Then he turned to the tomb of Abu Bakr, and said: 'Blessings on your martyrdom for the sake of Allah.' Then 'Omar said: 'Martyrs [enter the palace] too.' Then 'Omar said, as if to himself: 'Blessed be your martyrdom, oh 'Omar.'
[...]
"Ibn Hajar explicated a hadith, saying: When a man is having sex with his wife, he should be praying for a son who would wage Jihad for the sake of Allah. If this is the culture of the nation today, who will be able to stop it? Brothers, on the Night of Al-Qadr, bestowed upon us by Allah, I say to you: As long as we continue on this path, nobody on Earth will be able to confront the resistance, or to confront the mujahideen, those who worship Allah and seek martyrdom.
"I say to you, loud and clear: the negotiations, conducted first in the US, then in Sharm Al-Sheikh, and wherever, are aimed at uprooting Islam and the resistance here in Palestine, in Gaza."
Hamas PLC Speaker Ahmad Bahr Glorifies The Culture Of Martyrdom: The Mother Hides Her Son's Gun Under Her Cloak And His Little Sister Walks Ahead Of Him – April 30, 2010
The following excerpts are from a Friday sermon in the Gaza Strip, delivered by Hamas PLC Speaker Sheik Ahmad Bahr. The sermon aired on Al-Aqsa TV on April 30, 2010.
To view the clip, click here or below:
Ahmad Bahr: "This [Israeli] soldier, who was said to be invincible, has been defeated by us, with the grace of Allah. These are cowardly soldiers who came from Europe, from America, or from East Asia to occupy our land. These soldiers are cowardly aggressors. 'You shall indeed find them, of all people, most greedy of life.' They want to live, to drink alcohol, to live in clubs. This is what they want.
[...]
"Allah has given me the honor of visiting the homes of the martyrs, where you hear peculiar things. Nowhere in the world do you find people with such a culture. The father says: 'I have nine children. Two are gone, and I am ready to sacrifice the remaining seven.' The same goes for the wife. She wants to sacrifice her sons for the sake of this homeland. She says: 'It is your responsibility not to give in on Jerusalem and on the right of the refugees.' She hides her son's AK-47 so that no one will find it. She puts on her wide cloak and brings it where it is needed, and his little sister walks ahead of him to make way for him."
Speaker Of Palestinian Legislative Council Ahmad Bahr Refers To Jews As 'Brothers Of Pigs And Apes' – August 21, 2007
Following are excerpts from a public address delivered by Ahmad Bahr, Speaker of Palestinian Legislative Council, which aired on Al-Aqsa TV on August 21, 2007.
To view the clip, click here or below:
Ahmad Bahr: "Jerusalem, which was first conquered by Omar and then liberated by Saladin, was lost by the Muslims, who strayed from the path of Allah. This was the reason that the brothers of apes and pigs had the audacity to defile and occupy it, and then to burn its pulpit, in complete disregard of everyone.
[...]
"The liberation of Jerusalem will not be achieved by means of glittering slogans, cheap arrogance, and degrading concessions. It will be achieved by realizing the divine path in the souls of the Muslims, and by raising the generation of the coming victory to lead the battle against the brothers of apes and pigs.
"By Allah, Jerusalem will be restored only through Jihad. The foundations of the monstrous entity will be shaken only by the love of martyrdom for the sake of Allah. By Allah, even if all Palestinians die for the sake of Jerusalem and Palestine, and if they all attain the honor of martyrdom for the sake of Allah, this would be a small and cheap sacrifice for the sake of Jerusalem."
Acting Speaker Of The Palestinian Legislative Council Sheik Ahmad Bahr From Hamas Declared During A Friday Sermon At A Sudan Mosque That America And Israel Will Be Annihilated, Called Upon Allah To Kill The Jews And The Americans 'To The Very Last One' – April 12, 2007
Following are excerpts from a sermon delivered by Ahmad Bahr, acting speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, which aired on Sudan TV on April 13, 2007.
To view the clip, click here or below:
Ahmad Bahr: "'You will be victorious' on the face of this planet. You are the masters of the world on the face of this planet. Yes, [the Koran says that] 'you will be victorious,' but only 'if you are believers.' Allah willing, 'you will be victorious,' while America and Israel will be annihilated, Allah willing. I guarantee you that the power of belief and faith is greater than the power of America and Israel. They are cowards, as is said in the Book of Allah: 'You shall find them the people most eager to protect their lives.' They are cowards, who are eager for life, while we are eager for death for the sake of Allah. That is why America's nose was rubbed in the mud in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Somalia, and everywhere.
[...]
"America will be annihilated, while Islam will remain. The Muslims 'will be victorious, if you are believers.' Oh Muslims, I guarantee you that the power of Allah is greater than America, by whom many are blinded today. Some people are blinded by the power of America. We say to them that with the might of Allah, with the might of His Messenger, and with the power of Allah, we are stronger than America and Israel.
[...]
"I tell you that we will protect the enterprise of the resistance, because the Zionist enemy understands on the language of force. It does not recognize peace or the agreements. It does not recognize anything, and it understands only the language of force. Our Jihad-fighting Palestinian people salutes its brother, Sudan.
[...]
"The Palestinian woman bids her son farewell, and says to him: 'Son, go and don't be a coward. Go, and fight the Jews.' He bids her farewell and carries out a martyrdom operation. What did this Palestinian woman say when she was asked for her opinion, after the martyrdom of her son? She said: 'My son is my own flesh and blood. I love my son, but my love for Allah and His Messenger is greater than my love for my son.' Yes, this is the message of the Palestinian woman, who was over seventy years old – Fatima Al-Najjar. She was over seventy years old, but she blew herself up for the sake of Allah, bringing down many criminal Zionists.
[...]
"Oh Allah, vanquish the Jews and their supporters. Oh Allah, vanquish the Americans and their supporters. Oh Allah, count their numbers, and kill them all, down to the very last one. Oh Allah, show them a day of darkness. Oh Allah, who sent down His Book, the mover of the clouds, who defeated the enemies of the Prophet – defeat the Jews and the Americans, and bring us victory over them."
Gaza Politician Khaled Abu Hilal: We Demand The Death Penalty For All The 'Criminal Murderers' Who Took Part In Killing Activist Nizar Banat, Including President Abbas and Prime Minister Shtayyeh – June 26, 2021
Khaled Abu Hilal, Secretary-General of the Palestinian Freedom Movement said that it is high time to implement the death penalty against the "criminal murderers" who were responsible for the killing of opposition activist Nizar Banat by PA security forces. He made his remarks in a rally protesting the killing that aired on Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas-Gaza) on June 26, 2021. Abu Hilal said that the identities of those who gave the "death sentence" against Banat are known, and they include Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, whom he called "the leader of the gang," Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, whom he said collaborates with the occupation, and Ziyad Hab Al-Rih and Majed Faraj, the commanders of the Preventative Security Force and the General Intelligence Services, respectively. He said that "the solution is to carry out the death sentence" against them.
To view the clip, click here or below:
Khaled Abu Hilal: "The identity of [Palestinian activist Nizar Bant's] killers is known — 27 criminals from the Preventive Security Force and the General Intelligence gangs. All our people in Hebron know them by name. We know the names of the people who stormed the home of the martyr Nizar Banat and carried out the order to assassinate him. The leaders are also known to all. Mahmoud Abbas is the leader of the gang.
"[PM] Mohammad Shtayyeh is the so—called 'Minister of the Interior,' although I have reservations about calling him that, because he is a minister leading a rogue gang, who is in charge of an agency that collaborates with the occupation. Majed Faraj and Ziyad Hab Al-Rih are the commanders of the Preventive Security Force and the General Intelligence Service, and they took part in planning and carrying out [the killing]. We have come here today to demand as loud as we can: It is high time to carry out the death penalty. It is high time that — for once and for all — we witness the shari'a being implemented against the criminal murderers.
[...]
"Therefore, I say that the solution is to carry out the death sentence against all these criminal murderers — all those who took part in planning and committing this cowardly crime, that constitutes a mark of shame on the faces of those who committed it."
Gaza Politician Khaled Abu Hilal: Palestinians Abroad Should Attack Israeli Embassies In Europe, U.S. With Stones, Molotov Cocktails: 'Why Not Run Over This Zionist In Germany... Why Not Stab Him In His Heart?' – October 8, 2015
In an October 8, 2015 address aired by the Al-Jazeera Network, Khalel Abu Hilal, leader of the Palestinian Freedom Movement, called to attack Zionist embassies abroad with Molotov cocktails and stones. "Why not run over this Zionist in Germany, in Tunisia, in Egypt, or in Jordan?" he asked. "Why not stab him in his heart?"
To view the clip, click here or below:
Khaled Abu Hilal: "We want [Palestinians abroad] to launch a holy march on all the Zionist embassies, in all the Arab and Muslim countries, as well as in Europe and America. All these embassies must be stoned with holy stones, like Satan is stoned. These embassies should be attacked with Molotov cocktails. Why not target every infidel Zionist, who spreads corruption and depravity throughout the Arab and Islamic land? Why not stab this plundering settler? Why not run over this Zionist in Germany, in Tunisia, in Egypt, or in Jordan? Why not throw stones and Molotov cocktails at him? Why not stab him in his heart?"
Leader Of The 'Palestinian Freedom Movement' Khaled Abu Hilal: We Have Martyrdom-Seeking Parliament Members – January 1, 2010
The following are excerpts from a speech given by Khaled Abu Hilal, the leader of the Palestinian "Freedom Movement", which aired on Al-Alam TV on January 1, 2010.
To view the clip, click here or below:
Khaled Abu Hilal: "We have a Legislative Council whose members are martyrdom seekers. We have national and Islamic factions, whose leaders are martyrdom seekers. We have martyrdom-seeking women. We raise our children from kindergarten to love martyrdom. We are not afraid of anybody, but..."
Crowd: Allah Akbar. Praise be to Allah."
Abu Hilal: "I am not addressing the rulers of Egypt. We washed our hands of them a long time ago, and we know that the rulers of Egypt orbit in the Zionist-American sphere. We have only one Abbas here in Palestine, but God help the Egyptian people, with all the Abbases they have to deal with."
Crowd: "We place our trust in God."
[...]
Abu Hilal: "The great Gaza will turn into a curse that will haunt you in your dreams, a nightmare that will make you lose sleep, and an earthquake that will shake your seats and your bellies. We vow to escalate our protest measures, until [the Egyptians] back down from building the criminal wall of shame, with which they want to strangle Gaza.
"Brace yourselves, from this moment, for the procession of the living dead, which will kindle the flame and the wrath of the nation, against all those who oppress and harm us. Oh Allah, whoever wants to harm our people and our mujahideen – blind his eyes and deafen his ears."
[1] Timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/palestinian-reports-hamas-official-ahmad-bahar-killed-in-israeli-strike-in-gaza, November 17, 2023; Israelnationalnews.com/news/380489, November 17, 2023.
[2] Maannews.net/news/2106173, November 17, 2023.
[3] See MEMRI TV clip no. 3538 Hamas Official Ahmad Bahr Preaches for the Annihilation of Jews and Americans, August 10, 2012.
