Inas Haniyeh, daughter-in-law of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, said that she was happy to see that Israelis celebrated his assassination by handing out sweets, because in north Gaza there is no sugar to make sweets, so they are sparing them the effort, in a July 31, 2024 interview with Al-Jazeera Network (Qatar). She said that this is the fate Haniyeh had chosen for himself, and that he knew his end would be martyrdom that "makes the believers happy." Inas recalled with a broad smile that the last time she had been with Haniyeh was when her husband and sons were 'martyred' and he received the news with "utmost pride." She added that "this is a wedding, not a condolence call."
Inas Haniyeh: "The [assassination of Haniyeh] is a momentous event. It is not trivial for our nation to lose a godly man of such global magnitude, like Ismail Haniyeh. However, this is the fate that Ismail Haniyeh has chosen, and which he delineated with his own hands, since he was a child, since he was born. He was born a mujahid, a champion, and a hero.
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"My last moment with him was when my husband, sons, and cousin were martyred. As you know, he received the news with the utmost pride. He said: 'May Allah make it easy for them.' When he talked to me after their martyrdom, in order to console me, we talked as if nothing happened, even though the affliction is great. He said to me: 'Mother of martyrs… It's been a while.' I said back: 'Where have you been, father and grandfather of martyrs?' We were smiling to each other. We were always in touch."
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Host: "You are smiling, while millions around the world are crying, over the martyrdom of Ismail Haniyeh. From where do you draw your strength and why are you smiling?"
Inas Haniyeh: "Let me tell you. When you take an exam, and you have studied well, you will finish it and be happy with your answers, because success is guaranteed. When we embarked on their path, and when [Ismail] Hanieh took this path, he knew for certain how it would end. This is the result – martyrdom that makes the believers happy. This is a wedding, not a condolence call. As strange as it sounds, I was happy when the Israelis were handing out sweets, following the martyrdom of my beloved father-in-law. I was laughing and said that since we do not have sugar in north Gaza, we cannot make sweets and hand them out. They spared us the effort by making sweets and handing them out [to the Israelis]. We are very grateful to them. They shouldn't be too happy."