GAZA STRIP, PALESTINE – MARCH 22, 2004 Sheikh Ahmed Ismail Yassin was one of the most prominent figures of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which was founded in the late 1980s as a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood and gradually became involved in an armed conflict with Israel. Yassin was its co-founder and also its spiritual leader, who had a major influence on the ideology and direction of the entire organization.
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- Sheikh Ahmed Ismail Yassin 1
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- Sheikh Ahmed Ismail Yassin 2
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- Sheikh Ahmed Ismail Yassin 3
Despite being severely disabled from a young age – he was partially paralyzed and almost blind after an accident on a playground – he became a publicly known and influential figure in Gaza. From a wheelchair, he led political and religious activities and was considered a symbol of resistance among his supporters, while his opponents viewed him as a key representative of a militant structure responsible for violent attacks against Israel.
His life ended in the Gaza Strip, when he was hit by an Israeli helicopter attack after morning prayer. Hellfire missiles struck his wheelchair and entourage, and he was killed on the spot along with his bodyguards and other people nearby. The attack was part of Israel’s strategy of targeted killings of leaders of armed groups during the Second Intifada.
His death immediately triggered a strong reaction both regionally and internationally – some saw it as the removal of a key organizer of violence, while others viewed it as the killing of a political and religious leader, further deepening the already highly tense conflict between the two sides.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmed_Yassin
