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{{expand Arabic|topic=|otherarticle=فتحي_حماد|date=November 2017}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}
{{Short description|Palestinian politician (born 1961)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2026}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Fathi Ahmad Hamad
| native_name        = فتحي أحمد حماد
| image              = Gaza police exercise in 2011 (01).jpg
| caption            = Hamad (second from right, in white shirt) participates in Gaza police exercise in 2011
| office              = Minister of Interior of the Gaza Strip
| term_start          = April 2009
| term_end            = 2 June 2014
| primeminister      = [[Ismail Haniyeh]]
| predecessor        = [[Said Seyam]]
| successor          = [[Rami Hamdallah]]
| office2            = Member of [[Hamas Political Bureau]]
| term_start2        = 2012
| term_end2          =
| office3            = Member of the [[Palestinian Legislative Council]]
| term_start3        = 18 February 2006
| term_end3          =
| birth_date          = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1961|01|03}}
| birth_place        = [[Beit Lahia]], [[Administration of the Gaza Strip by Egypt|Egyptian-administered Gaza Strip, Palestine]]
| death_date          =
| death_place        =
| party              = [[Hamas]]
| spouse              =
| children            = 24<ref>{{cite web |title=حركة المقاومة الإسلامية - حماس |url=http://hamas.ps/ar/politicalofficemember/36 |website=hamas.ps |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206153122/http://hamas.ps/ar/politicalofficemember/36 |archive-date=6 December 2017 |trans-title=Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas}}</ref>{{psc|2026|date=January 2026}}
| education          = Qalandia Institute (1982)<br>[[Al-Quds Open University]] (2006)<br>[[Islamic University of Gaza]] (2012)<br>Omdurman University (2020)
}}
'''Fathi Ahmad Hamad''' ({{langx|ar|فتحي أحمد حماد}}, also spelled '''Fathi Hammad'''; born 3 January 1961) is a Palestinian politician and member of the [[Hamas]] political bureau. He was [[Interior Minister of the Palestinian National Authority|Interior Minister]] in the Hamas-administered [[Gaza Strip]] from 2009 to 2014.


'''Fathi Ahmad Hamad''' ({{lang-ar|فتحي أحمد حماد}}, also spelled '''Fathi Hammad''') (born 3 January 1961, [[Beit Lahia]], northern [[Gaza Strip|Gaza]]) is a political leader of [[Hamas]], a member of the [[Palestinian Legislative Council]].<ref name="bio">{{Cite web|url=http://www.webgaza.net/gaza_strip/north_gaza/people_profiles/Hammad_Fathi.htm|title=Fathi Hammad - Who is Fathi Ahmad Hammad?|website=www.webgaza.net}}</ref> In April 2009, he was appointed [[Interior Minister of the Palestinian National Authority|Interior Minister]] in the Hamas administered [[Gaza Strip]], replacing [[Said Seyam]] who had been assassinated by [[Israel]] during the 2008-09 [[Gaza War (2008–09)|Gaza War]].<ref name="palpress">[https://web.archive.org/web/20110722014609/http://www.palpress.ps/english/print.php?ChannelID=18033 ''Hamas officially announces Fathi Hamad new Interior Minister'']. Palestinian Press, 27 April 2009</ref><ref name=maan_approved>[http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=514753 ''New Hamas cabinet approved by lawmakers'']. Ma'an, 27 August 2012</ref> He ceased being Interior Minister in June 2014 on the formation of the [[Palestinian Unity Government of June 2014|Fatah-Hamas unity government]].
==Biography==
In 1983, Hammad joined the [[Muslim Brotherhood]]. He is the founder and Vice President of <!-- that seems like the wrong page? -->[[Dar Al Quran]].<ref name="bio">{{Cite web|url=http://www.webgaza.net/gaza_strip/north_gaza/people_profiles/Hammad_Fathi.htm|title=Fathi Hammad - Who is Fathi Ahmad Hammad?|website=webgaza.net}}</ref>


In September 2016, Hamad was designated a [[terrorist]] by the US [[United States Department of State|State Department]] and added to its global terrorist list, meaning that US citizens and companies are banned from doing business with him, and any property he holds in areas under US jurisdiction are frozen.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/blacklisted-hamas-official-us-shows-total-bias-for-israel/|title=Blacklisted Hamas official: US shows 'total bias' for Israel|website=www.timesofisrael.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/us-designates-senior-hamas-official-a-global-terrorist/|title=US designates senior Hamas official a 'global terrorist'|website=www.timesofisrael.com}}</ref>
From 1988 to 1994, Hamad was in Israeli prison. He was also arrested three times by the [[Palestinian Authority]] and spent 2 years in Palestinian jails.<ref name="Wapo">{{cite news |last1=Balousha |first1=Hazem |title=Palestinian leader says he is proud to be branded a ‘global terrorist’ by U.S. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/palestinian-leader-says-he-is-proud-to-be-branded-a-global-terrorist-by-us/2016/09/18/d2aac6c8-492f-4040-8b76-2c0a37ea4653_story.html |access-date=5 December 2023 |date=18 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201207183610/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/palestinian-leader-says-he-is-proud-to-be-branded-a-global-terrorist-by-us/2016/09/18/d2aac6c8-492f-4040-8b76-2c0a37ea4653_story.html |archive-date=7 December 2020}}</ref>


==Career==
Hamad became a [[Hamas]]-affiliated member of the [[Palestinian Legislative Council]] in 2006, representing his home town of [[Beit Lahia]] in [[North Gaza Governorate]]. He also leads the Hamas Public Affairs Department and the chairman of al-Ribat Communications and Artistic Productions<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.adl.org/main_Terrorism/al_quds_tv.htm |title=Hamas Expands Reach Through Media |access-date=29 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006001824/http://www.adl.org/main_Terrorism/al_quds_tv.htm |archive-date=6 October 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> - a Hamas-run company which produces Hamas's radio station, [[Al-Aqsa Voice Radio]],  its television station, [[Al-Aqsa TV]] and its bi-weekly newspaper, ''The Message''.<ref name="palpress">[https://web.archive.org/web/20110722014609/http://www.palpress.ps/english/print.php?ChannelID=18033 ''Hamas officially announces Fathi Hamad new Interior Minister'']. Palestinian Press, 27 April 2009</ref><ref name="guardian_johnson">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/may/15/hamasandantisemitism|title=Hamas and antisemitism|last=Johnson|first=Alan|date=15 May 2008|work=The Guardian|location=London}}</ref> Under his direction, the station broadcast children's show ''[[Tomorrow's Pioneers]]'', which received heavy criticism for its [[Antisemitism|antisemitic]] and [[Islamism|Islamist]] content. Hamad defended the contents of the show, stating "it does not violate any moral or professional standard."<ref>{{Cite web |last=al-Mughrabi |first=Nidal |date=9 August 2007 |title=Hamas TV airs anti-Israel kids show despite protest |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL11403455/ |website=Reuters}}</ref>
Hamad became a [[Hamas]]-affiliated member of the [[Palestinian Legislative Council]] in 2006, representing his home town of [[Beit Lahia]] in northern Gaza. He also leads the Hamas Public Affairs Department and the chairman of al-Ribat Communications and Artistic Productions<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.adl.org/main_Terrorism/al_quds_tv.htm |title=Hamas Expands Reach Through Media |access-date=29 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006001824/http://www.adl.org/main_Terrorism/al_quds_tv.htm |archive-date=6 October 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> - a Hamas-run company which produces Hamas's radio station, [[Voice of al-Aqsa]],  its television station, [[Al-Aqsa TV]] and its bi-weekly newspaper, ''The Message''.<ref name="palpress" /><ref name="guardian_johnson">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/may/15/hamasandantisemitism|title=Hamas and antisemitism|last=Johnson|first=Alan|date=2008-05-15|work=The Guardian|location=London}}</ref>


In 1983, Hammad joined the [[Muslim Brotherhood]]. He is the Founder and Vice President of Dar Al Quran.<ref name="bio"/>
In April 2009, Hamad was appointed [[Interior Minister of the Palestinian National Authority|Interior Minister]] in the Hamas-administered [[Gaza Strip]], replacing [[Said Seyam]] who had been assassinated by [[Israel]] during the [[Gaza War (2008–2009)|2008–2009 Gaza War]].<ref name="palpress"/><ref name=maan_approved>[http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=514753 ''New Hamas cabinet approved by lawmakers'']. Ma'an, 27 August 2012</ref> He ceased being Interior Minister in June 2014 on the formation of the [[Palestinian Unity Government of June 2014|Fatah–Hamas unity government]]. <ref>{{cite web |last1=Algemeiner |first1=The |title=In Farewell Speech, Hamas Interior Minister Calls on Fatah to Join Jihad (VIDEO) |url=https://www.algemeiner.com/2014/06/11/hamas-interior-minister-calls-on-fatah-to-join-jihad-in-farewell-speech/#:~:text=June%2011%2C%202014%206:12,2 |website=Algemeiner.com |access-date=18 January 2026}}</ref> According to the United States, Hamad used his position as interior minister to "coordinate terrorist cells."<ref name=Designate />


In November 2009, Waad, a Gaza charity headed by Hamad, offered a $1.4 million [[bounty (reward)|bounty]] to any [[Arab citizens of Israel|Arab citizen of Israel]] who [[Kidnapping|abducts]] an Israeli soldier. While Palestinian militant groups have frequently called on Arab-Israelis to capture soldiers, this marked the first time money had been offered.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hamas-linked group offers cash reward for capture of IDF soldiers |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=Haaretz |date=20 November 2009 |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1129188.html}}</ref>
In November 2009, Waad, a Gaza charity headed by Hamad, offered a $1.4 million [[bounty (reward)|bounty]] to any [[Arab citizens of Israel|Arab citizen of Israel]] who [[Kidnapping|abducts]] an Israeli soldier. While Palestinian militant groups have frequently called on Arab-Israelis to capture soldiers, this marked the first time money had been offered.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hamas-linked group offers cash reward for capture of IDF soldiers |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=Haaretz |date=20 November 2009 |url=https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1129188.html}}</ref>


A speech made by Hamad, broadcast on Al-Aqsa TV in February 2008, has been used as evidence by Israel and others that Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups make use of [[human shields]].<ref name="mfa">{{cite web |url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Hamas+war+against+Israel/Video_civilians_military_goals_Jan+2009.htm |title=Video: Hamas uses civilians as a means to achieving military goals |author= |date=11 January 2009 |publisher=Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs |accessdate=28 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Landes |first1=Richard |date=December 2009 |title=Goldstone's Gaza Report: Part One: A Failure of Intelligence |journal=Middle East Review of International Affairs |publisher=Global Research in International Affairs Center (GLORIA) |volume=13 |issue=4 |url=http://www.gloria-center.org/meria/2009/12/landes1.html#_edn21 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100413232650/http://www.gloria-center.org/meria/2009/12/landes1.html#_edn21 |archivedate=13 April 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=1304 |title=Eye-witnesses: Hamas used human shields in Gaza war |author=Itamar Marcus, Barbara Crook and Nan Jacques Zilberdik |date=16 September 2009 |publisher=Palestinian Media Watch |accessdate=28 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hudsonny.org/2009/09/un-investigation-of-israel-discredits-itself-and-undercuts-human-rights.php |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120801210525/http://www.hudsonny.org/2009/09/un-investigation-of-israel-discredits-itself-and-undercuts-human-rights.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 August 2012 |title=UN Investigation of Israel Discredits Itself and Undercuts Human Rights |author=Alan M. Dershowitz |date=16 September 2009 |work=Hudson New York |publisher=Hudson Institute |accessdate=28 April 2010 }}</ref> In an interview which aired on Al-Aqsa TV on 14 December 2010 (as translated by [[MEMRI]]), Hamad stated that Hamas receives support.<ref>[http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/2734.htm Hamas Interior Minister Fathi Hammad: The Americans and the Jews Are Abhorred Worldwide; The Americans Are Led by the Jews, "Outcasts Who Live Off Corruption and Plundering"], MEMRITV, 14 December 2010, Clip No. 2734.</ref>
In September 2016, the [[U.S. Department of State]] named Hamad a [[Specially Designated Terrorist]], outlawing U.S. citizens and companies from doing business with him and freezing his assets in areas under U.S. jurisdiction.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/blacklisted-hamas-official-us-shows-total-bias-for-israel/|title=Blacklisted Hamas official: US shows 'total bias' for Israel|website=[[The Times of Israel]] |issn=0040-7909}}</ref><ref name=Designate>{{Cite news|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/us-designates-senior-hamas-official-a-global-terrorist/|title=US designates senior Hamas official a 'global terrorist'|website=[[The Times of Israel]]| agency=[[Agence France-Presse]]}}</ref> The designation named Hamad as the founder and director of Hamad's [[Al-Aqsa TV]], which the U.S. said aired "programs designed to recruit children to become Hamas armed fighters and suicide bombers." In response, Hamad told the ''[[Washington Post]]'' that he "was proud that I managed to anger America."<ref name="Wapo" />
 
He provides funding and military instruction to the West Bank branch of Hamas, founded by prisoners released in the 2011 [[Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange]]. According to Palestinian officials, Hamad was behind a cell planning suicide bombings and other attacks in [[Abu Dis]].<ref name=Designate />
 
Hamad arranged for Yahya Sinwar's widow to be remarried in Turkey, and was believed to be smuggling Hamas members and their families out of Gaza during the [[2023 Gaza War]], arranging for fake passports, fictitious medical records, and assistance from the embassies of sympathetic countries.<ref>{{cite web |last1="The Week" News Desk |title=Slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s wife fled Gaza with fake passport, remarried in Turkey: Report |url=https://www.theweek.in/news/middle-east/2025/07/24/slain-hamas-leader-yahya-sinwar-s-wife-fled-gaza-with-fake-passport-remarried-in-turkey-report.html |website=The Week |access-date=18 January 2026 |language=en}}</ref>
 
In September 2025, Hamad narrowly escaped an [[Israeli attack on Doha|Israeli assassination attempt]] that killed 5 other Hamas members in Doha, Qatar.<ref>{{cite news |title=Leading Hamas Official Makes First Comments Since Israeli Attack in Doha |publisher=Al Jazeera |date=17 September 2025 |access-date=18 January 2026 |language=en |last=Usaid |first=Siddiqui |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/17/leading-hamas-official-makes-first-comments-since-israeli-attack-in-qatar}}</ref>
 
== Personal life ==
According to Hamas' website, Hamad has 24 children. Some sources claim that [[Yaqeen Hamad|Yaqeen Khader Fathi Hamad]], who was killed in 2025, was his daughter.
 
== Views ==
Hamad is viewed in Gaza as a powerful, but extreme, loose cannon, who operates independently of and kept at arm's length by Hamas. He is well-known as one of the most radical figures in Hamas.<ref name="Wapo" /><ref name=Designate /> Hamad was a central figure opposing reconciliation with the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority.
 
A speech made by Hamad, broadcast on Al-Aqsa TV in February 2008, has been used as evidence by Israel and others that Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups make use of [[human shields]].<ref name="mfa">{{cite web |url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Hamas+war+against+Israel/Video_civilians_military_goals_Jan+2009.htm |title=Video: Hamas uses civilians as a means to achieving military goals |date=11 January 2009 |publisher=Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs |accessdate=28 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Landes |first1=Richard |date=December 2009 |title=Goldstone's Gaza Report: Part One: A Failure of Intelligence |journal=Middle East Review of International Affairs |publisher=Global Research in International Affairs Center (GLORIA) |volume=13 |issue=4 |url=http://www.gloria-center.org/meria/2009/12/landes1.html#_edn21 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100413232650/http://www.gloria-center.org/meria/2009/12/landes1.html#_edn21 |archivedate=13 April 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=1304 |title=Eye-witnesses: Hamas used human shields in Gaza war |first1=Itamar|last1=Marcus|first2=Barbara|last2=Crook|first3=Nan|last3=Jacques Zilberdik |date=16 September 2009 |publisher=Palestinian Media Watch |accessdate=28 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hudsonny.org/2009/09/un-investigation-of-israel-discredits-itself-and-undercuts-human-rights.php |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120801210525/http://www.hudsonny.org/2009/09/un-investigation-of-israel-discredits-itself-and-undercuts-human-rights.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 August 2012 |title=UN Investigation of Israel Discredits Itself and Undercuts Human Rights |first=Alan M.|last=Dershowitz |date=16 September 2009 |work=Hudson New York |publisher=Hudson Institute |accessdate=28 April 2010 }}</ref> In an interview which aired on Al-Aqsa TV on 14 December 2010 (as translated by [[MEMRI]]), Hamad stated that "the Jews have become abhorred and loathed outcasts because they live off corruption and the plundering of the peoples." <ref>[https://www.memri.org/reports/hamas-interior-minister-fathi-hammad-americans-and-jews-are-abhorred-worldwide-americans-are Hamas Interior Minister Fathi Hammad: The Americans and the Jews Are Abhorred Worldwide; The Americans Are Led by the Jews, "Outcasts Who Live Off Corruption and Plundering"], MEMRITV, 14 December 2010, Clip No. 2734.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Spoerl |first1=J. S. |title=Parallels between Nazi and Islamist Anti-Semitism |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26870795 |journal=Jewish Political Studies Review |access-date=18 January 2026 |volume=31 |issue=1–2 |pages=210–244 |year=2020 |quote=The suggestion that leaders such as Fathi Hammad have abandoned anti-Semitism is hardly credible}}</ref>
 
In 2011, Hamad predicted Israel's destruction in 12 years, saying "we are working toward that goal day and night."<ref>{{cite web |title=Fathi Hamad, minister of the interior of the de-facto Hamas administration and responsible for enforcing the lull in the Gaza Strip, also handles terrorist squads and promotes terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria |url=https://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en/20499/ |publisher=Meir Amit Terrorism Information Center |access-date=18 January 2026 |date=4 July 2013 |quote=On August 13, 2011, interviewed by an Iranian news agency, Fathi Hamad said that in 12 years "Israel would collapse and be wiped off the map." He said the Arabs and Muslims were becoming more numerous and stronger while there were fewer and fewer Jews. He said the State of Israel would be destroyed and "we are working toward that goal day and night."}}</ref>


In a speech broadcast on [[Egypt]]ian Al-Helma TV on 23 March 2012, Hamad condemned Egypt over the fuel shortage in the Gaza Strip, and stated, "Half of the Palestinians are Egyptians and the other half are Saudis."<ref>Hamas Minister of the Interior and of National Security Fathi Hammad Slams Egypt over Fuel Shortage in Gaza Strip, and Says: "Half of the Palestinians Are Egyptians and the Other Half Are Saudis,"  Memritv Clip 3389, http://www.memri.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/3389.htm, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAfENxzv2mc
In a speech broadcast on [[Egypt]]ian Al-Helma TV on 23 March 2012, Hamad condemned Egypt over the fuel shortage in the Gaza Strip, and stated, "Half of the Palestinians are Egyptians and the other half are Saudis."<ref>Hamas Minister of the Interior and of National Security Fathi Hammad Slams Egypt over Fuel Shortage in Gaza Strip, and Says: "Half of the Palestinians Are Egyptians and the Other Half Are Saudis,"  Memritv Clip 3389, http://www.memri.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/3389.htm, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAfENxzv2mc
</ref>
</ref>


In March 2018, it was reported that Hamad is a senior Hamas official who opposes [[Fatah–Hamas reconciliation process|reconciliation with Fatah]], and urges a resumption of war against Israel. He has been implicated in the assassination attempt on prime minister [[Rami Hamdallah]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/abbas-condemns-murderous-terror-attack-on-pa-convoy/|title=Abbas condemns 'murderous terror attack' on PA convoy|first=Khaled Abu|last=Toameh|website=www.timesofisrael.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/something-is-rotten-in-the-kingdom-of-hamas/|title=Something is rotten in the terrorist kingdom of Hamas|first=Avi|last=Issacharoff|website=www.timesofisrael.com}}</ref>
In late July 2018, Hamad called on Muslims to kill Zionist Jews in a funeral speech at the Great Omari Mosque in Gaza City:
"O Muslims, wherever you find a Zionist Jew, you must kill him because that is an expression of your solidarity with the al-Aqsa Mosque and an expression of your solidarity with your Jerusalem, your Palestine and your people,"<ref>{{cite news |title=Hamas official tells Gazans: O Muslims, wherever you find a Zionist Jew, you must kill him |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/hamas-official-tells-gazans-o-muslims-wherever-you-find-a-zionist-jew-you-must-kill-him |access-date=18 January 2026 |work=The Times of Israel |date=26 July 2018}}</ref>


In July 2019, Hamad urged members of the [[Palestinian diaspora]] to kill "Jews everywhere". His comments were characterized as [[incitement to genocide]] by [[Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Guardian, Independent and Telegraph ignore Hamas official's call for genocide > CAMERA UK |url=https://camera-uk.org/2019/07/16/guardian-independent-and-telegraph-ignore-hamas-officials-call-for-genocide/ |accessdate=10 May 2020 |work=CAMERA UK |date=16 July 2019}}</ref> and the [[Simon Wiesenthal Center]].<ref name=Wiesenthal>{{cite news |title='A Fatwa for Genocide' – Wiesenthal center slams Hamas charter |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/a-fatwa-for-genocide-wiesenthal-center-slams-hamas-charter-595634 |accessdate=10 May 2020 |work=[[The Jerusalem Post]] |date=14 July 2019 |quote=The Simon Wiesenthal Center slammed Hamas in a press release on Sunday, pointing out that the terrorist group's charter contains "a Fatwa for genocide" and the statement by senior Hamas official Fathi Hammad, who called on Palestinians living around the world to "go out and slaughter and kill Jews."}}</ref> His rhetoric was widely condemned by other Palestinians and he later stated that he supports the Hamas policy of only targeting Jews in Israel.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rasgon |first1=Adam |title=Hamas official walks back call to Palestinian Diaspora to kill 'Jews everywhere' |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-distances-itself-from-official-who-urged-murder-of-jews-everywhere/ |accessdate=16 July 2019 |work=Times of Israel|quote=But our brothers [in the diaspora] are still preparing. They are trying to prepare. They are warming up. A long time has passed with them warming up. All of you 7 million Palestinians abroad, enough of the warming up. You have Jews everywhere and we must attack every Jew on the globe by way of slaughter and killing, if God permits. Enough of the warming up}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Hamas official calls on Palestinians abroad to kill Jews |url=https://www.jta.org/quick-reads/hamas-official-calls-on-palestinians-abroad-to-kill-jews |accessdate=16 July 2019 |work=Jewish Telegraphic Agency}}</ref>
In March 2018, Hamad, as a senior Hamas official, was reported to oppose [[Fatah–Hamas reconciliation process|reconciliation with Fatah]], and urged a resumption of war against Israel. He was implicated in the assassination attempt on Prime Minister [[Rami Hamdallah]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/abbas-condemns-murderous-terror-attack-on-pa-convoy/|title=Abbas condemns 'murderous terror attack' on PA convoy|first=Khaled Abu|last=Toameh|website=[[The Times of Israel]] |issn=0040-7909}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/something-is-rotten-in-the-kingdom-of-hamas/|title=Something is rotten in the terrorist kingdom of Hamas|first=Avi|last=Issacharoff|website=[[The Times of Israel]] |issn=0040-7909}}</ref>


==Personal==
== Controversies ==
Hamad's ill three-year-old daughter was sent to [[Jordan]] for medical treatment through the Israeli-controlled [[Erez Crossing]]. For initial medical treatment, she was first sent to [[Barzilai Hospital]] in the southern Israeli city of [[Ashkelon]]. Her subsequent transfer to Jordan was authorized by then Israeli defense minister [[Ehud Barak]] and the then IDF Chief of General Staff [[Gabi Ashkenazi]], at the request of the Jordanian king [[Abdullah II of Jordan|Abdullah]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/ipc_e082.htm |title=News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (April 22-27, 2010) |date=28 April 2010 |publisher=Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center |accessdate=28 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100502022655/http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/ipc_e082.htm |archivedate=2 May 2010 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
In July 2019, Hamad urged members of the [[Palestinian diaspora]] to kill Jews in Palestine and also across the globe. His comments were characterized as [[incitement to genocide]] by [[Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Guardian, Independent and Telegraph ignore Hamas official's call for genocide > CAMERA UK |url=https://camera-uk.org/2019/07/16/guardian-independent-and-telegraph-ignore-hamas-officials-call-for-genocide/ |accessdate=10 May 2020 |work=CAMERA UK |date=16 July 2019}}</ref> and the [[Simon Wiesenthal Center]].<ref name=Wiesenthal>{{cite news |title='A Fatwa for Genocide' – Wiesenthal center slams Hamas charter |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/a-fatwa-for-genocide-wiesenthal-center-slams-hamas-charter-595634 |accessdate=10 May 2020 |work=[[The Jerusalem Post]] |date=14 July 2019 |quote=The Simon Wiesenthal Center slammed Hamas in a press release on Sunday, pointing out that the terrorist group's charter contains "a Fatwa for genocide" and the statement by senior Hamas official Fathi Hammad, who called on Palestinians living around the world to "go out and slaughter and kill Jews."}}</ref> His rhetoric was condemned by other Palestinians.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rasgon |first1=Adam |title=Hamas official walks back call to Palestinian Diaspora to kill 'Jews everywhere' |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-distances-itself-from-official-who-urged-murder-of-jews-everywhere/ |accessdate=16 July 2019 |work=The Times of Israel|quote=But our brothers [in the diaspora] are still preparing. They are trying to prepare. They are warming up. A long time has passed with them warming up. All of you 7 million Palestinians abroad, enough of the warming up. You have Jews everywhere and we must attack every Jew on the globe by way of slaughter and killing, if God permits. Enough of the warming up}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Hamas official calls on Palestinians abroad to kill Jews |url=https://www.jta.org/quick-reads/hamas-official-calls-on-palestinians-abroad-to-kill-jews |accessdate=16 July 2019 |publisher=Jewish Telegraphic Agency}}</ref> The deliberate killing of civilians is said by mainstream Islamic scholars to be [[haram|prohibited]] in Islamic law.<ref name="tnh">{{cite web |last1=Aly |first1=Heba |title=The New Humanitarian {{!}} Islamic law and the rules of war |url=https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/2014/04/24/islamic-law-and-rules-war |website=www.thenewhumanitarian.org |access-date=14 April 2024 |language=en |date=24 April 2014}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
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{{Reflist}}
 
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{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Said Seyam]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Minister of Interior of the Gaza Strip|years=2009–2014}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Rami Hamdallah]]}}
{{s-end}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamad, Fathi Ahmad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamad, Fathi Ahmad}}
[[Category:1961 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1961 births]]
[[Category:21st-century Palestinian politicians]]
[[Category:Palestinian militants]]
[[Category:Al-Quds Open University]]
[[Category:Hamas members]]
[[Category:People from the Gaza Strip]]
[[Category:Members of the 2006 Palestinian Legislative Council]]
[[Category:Government ministers of the Gaza Strip]]
[[Category:Government ministers of the Gaza Strip]]
[[Category:Individuals designated as terrorists by the United States government]]
[[Category:Individuals related to Iran sanctions]]
[[Category:Interior ministers of the Palestinian National Authority]]
[[Category:Interior ministers of the Palestinian National Authority]]
[[Category:Palestinian politicians]]
[[Category:Mass media in the State of Palestine]]
[[Category:Palestinian Legislative Council]]
[[Category:Islamic University of Gaza alumni]]
[[Category:Islamic University of Gaza alumni]]
[[Category:Individuals designated as terrorists by the United States government]]
[[Category:Members of the 2006 Palestinian Legislative Council]]
[[Category:Individuals related to Iran Sanctions]]
[[Category:Palestinian militants]]
[[Category:Palestinian Muslims]]
[[Category:People from North Gaza Governorate]]
[[Category:Politicians from the Gaza Strip]]

Latest revision as of 16:54, 23 March 2026


Fathi Ahmad Hamad
فتحي أحمد حماد
Hamad (second from right, in white shirt) participates in Gaza police exercise in 2011
Minister of Interior of the Gaza Strip
In office
April 2009 – 2 June 2014
Prime MinisterIsmail Haniyeh
Preceded bySaid Seyam
Succeeded byRami Hamdallah
Member of Hamas Political Bureau
Assumed office
2012
Member of the Palestinian Legislative Council
Assumed office
18 February 2006
Personal details
Born (1961-01-03) 3 January 1961 (age 65)
Beit Lahia, Egyptian-administered Gaza Strip, Palestine
Political partyHamas
Children24[1]Template:Psc
EducationQalandia Institute (1982)
Al-Quds Open University (2006)
Islamic University of Gaza (2012)
Omdurman University (2020)

Fathi Ahmad Hamad (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist., also spelled Fathi Hammad; born 3 January 1961) is a Palestinian politician and member of the Hamas political bureau. He was Interior Minister in the Hamas-administered Gaza Strip from 2009 to 2014.

Biography[edit | edit source]

In 1983, Hammad joined the Muslim Brotherhood. He is the founder and Vice President of Dar Al Quran.[2]

From 1988 to 1994, Hamad was in Israeli prison. He was also arrested three times by the Palestinian Authority and spent 2 years in Palestinian jails.[3]

Hamad became a Hamas-affiliated member of the Palestinian Legislative Council in 2006, representing his home town of Beit Lahia in North Gaza Governorate. He also leads the Hamas Public Affairs Department and the chairman of al-Ribat Communications and Artistic Productions[4] - a Hamas-run company which produces Hamas's radio station, Al-Aqsa Voice Radio, its television station, Al-Aqsa TV and its bi-weekly newspaper, The Message.[5][6] Under his direction, the station broadcast children's show Tomorrow's Pioneers, which received heavy criticism for its antisemitic and Islamist content. Hamad defended the contents of the show, stating "it does not violate any moral or professional standard."[7]

In April 2009, Hamad was appointed Interior Minister in the Hamas-administered Gaza Strip, replacing Said Seyam who had been assassinated by Israel during the 2008–2009 Gaza War.[5][8] He ceased being Interior Minister in June 2014 on the formation of the Fatah–Hamas unity government. [9] According to the United States, Hamad used his position as interior minister to "coordinate terrorist cells."[10]

In November 2009, Waad, a Gaza charity headed by Hamad, offered a $1.4 million bounty to any Arab citizen of Israel who abducts an Israeli soldier. While Palestinian militant groups have frequently called on Arab-Israelis to capture soldiers, this marked the first time money had been offered.[11]

In September 2016, the U.S. Department of State named Hamad a Specially Designated Terrorist, outlawing U.S. citizens and companies from doing business with him and freezing his assets in areas under U.S. jurisdiction.[12][10] The designation named Hamad as the founder and director of Hamad's Al-Aqsa TV, which the U.S. said aired "programs designed to recruit children to become Hamas armed fighters and suicide bombers." In response, Hamad told the Washington Post that he "was proud that I managed to anger America."[3]

He provides funding and military instruction to the West Bank branch of Hamas, founded by prisoners released in the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange. According to Palestinian officials, Hamad was behind a cell planning suicide bombings and other attacks in Abu Dis.[10]

Hamad arranged for Yahya Sinwar's widow to be remarried in Turkey, and was believed to be smuggling Hamas members and their families out of Gaza during the 2023 Gaza War, arranging for fake passports, fictitious medical records, and assistance from the embassies of sympathetic countries.[13]

In September 2025, Hamad narrowly escaped an Israeli assassination attempt that killed 5 other Hamas members in Doha, Qatar.[14]

Personal life[edit | edit source]

According to Hamas' website, Hamad has 24 children. Some sources claim that Yaqeen Khader Fathi Hamad, who was killed in 2025, was his daughter.

Views[edit | edit source]

Hamad is viewed in Gaza as a powerful, but extreme, loose cannon, who operates independently of and kept at arm's length by Hamas. He is well-known as one of the most radical figures in Hamas.[3][10] Hamad was a central figure opposing reconciliation with the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority.

A speech made by Hamad, broadcast on Al-Aqsa TV in February 2008, has been used as evidence by Israel and others that Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups make use of human shields.[15][16][17][18] In an interview which aired on Al-Aqsa TV on 14 December 2010 (as translated by MEMRI), Hamad stated that "the Jews have become abhorred and loathed outcasts because they live off corruption and the plundering of the peoples." [19][20]

In 2011, Hamad predicted Israel's destruction in 12 years, saying "we are working toward that goal day and night."[21]

In a speech broadcast on Egyptian Al-Helma TV on 23 March 2012, Hamad condemned Egypt over the fuel shortage in the Gaza Strip, and stated, "Half of the Palestinians are Egyptians and the other half are Saudis."[22]

In late July 2018, Hamad called on Muslims to kill Zionist Jews in a funeral speech at the Great Omari Mosque in Gaza City: "O Muslims, wherever you find a Zionist Jew, you must kill him because that is an expression of your solidarity with the al-Aqsa Mosque and an expression of your solidarity with your Jerusalem, your Palestine and your people,"[23]

In March 2018, Hamad, as a senior Hamas official, was reported to oppose reconciliation with Fatah, and urged a resumption of war against Israel. He was implicated in the assassination attempt on Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah.[24][25]

Controversies[edit | edit source]

In July 2019, Hamad urged members of the Palestinian diaspora to kill Jews in Palestine and also across the globe. His comments were characterized as incitement to genocide by Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America[26] and the Simon Wiesenthal Center.[27] His rhetoric was condemned by other Palestinians.[28][29] The deliberate killing of civilians is said by mainstream Islamic scholars to be prohibited in Islamic law.[30]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ "حركة المقاومة الإسلامية - حماس" [Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas]. hamas.ps. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017.
  2. ↑ "Fathi Hammad - Who is Fathi Ahmad Hammad?". webgaza.net.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Balousha, Hazem (18 September 2016). "Palestinian leader says he is proud to be branded a 'global terrorist' by U.S." Archived from the original on 7 December 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  4. ↑ "Hamas Expands Reach Through Media". Archived from the original on 6 October 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Hamas officially announces Fathi Hamad new Interior Minister. Palestinian Press, 27 April 2009
  6. ↑ Johnson, Alan (15 May 2008). "Hamas and antisemitism". The Guardian. London.
  7. ↑ al-Mughrabi, Nidal (9 August 2007). "Hamas TV airs anti-Israel kids show despite protest". Reuters.
  8. ↑ New Hamas cabinet approved by lawmakers. Ma'an, 27 August 2012
  9. ↑ Algemeiner, The. "In Farewell Speech, Hamas Interior Minister Calls on Fatah to Join Jihad (VIDEO)". Algemeiner.com. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 "US designates senior Hamas official a 'global terrorist'". The Times of Israel. Agence France-Presse.
  11. ↑ "Hamas-linked group offers cash reward for capture of IDF soldiers". Haaretz. Associated Press. 20 November 2009.
  12. ↑ "Blacklisted Hamas official: US shows 'total bias' for Israel". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909.
  13. ↑ "The Week" News Desk. "Slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar's wife fled Gaza with fake passport, remarried in Turkey: Report". The Week. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  14. ↑ Usaid, Siddiqui (17 September 2025). "Leading Hamas Official Makes First Comments Since Israeli Attack in Doha". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  15. ↑ "Video: Hamas uses civilians as a means to achieving military goals". Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 11 January 2009. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
  16. ↑ Landes, Richard (December 2009). "Goldstone's Gaza Report: Part One: A Failure of Intelligence". Middle East Review of International Affairs. 13 (4). Global Research in International Affairs Center (GLORIA). Archived from the original on 13 April 2010.
  17. ↑ Marcus, Itamar; Crook, Barbara; Jacques Zilberdik, Nan (16 September 2009). "Eye-witnesses: Hamas used human shields in Gaza war". Palestinian Media Watch. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
  18. ↑ Dershowitz, Alan M. (16 September 2009). "UN Investigation of Israel Discredits Itself and Undercuts Human Rights". Hudson New York. Hudson Institute. Retrieved 28 April 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  19. ↑ Hamas Interior Minister Fathi Hammad: The Americans and the Jews Are Abhorred Worldwide; The Americans Are Led by the Jews, "Outcasts Who Live Off Corruption and Plundering", MEMRITV, 14 December 2010, Clip No. 2734.
  20. ↑ Spoerl, J. S. (2020). "Parallels between Nazi and Islamist Anti-Semitism". Jewish Political Studies Review. 31 (1–2): 210–244. Retrieved 18 January 2026. The suggestion that leaders such as Fathi Hammad have abandoned anti-Semitism is hardly credible
  21. ↑ "Fathi Hamad, minister of the interior of the de-facto Hamas administration and responsible for enforcing the lull in the Gaza Strip, also handles terrorist squads and promotes terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria". Meir Amit Terrorism Information Center. 4 July 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2026. On August 13, 2011, interviewed by an Iranian news agency, Fathi Hamad said that in 12 years "Israel would collapse and be wiped off the map." He said the Arabs and Muslims were becoming more numerous and stronger while there were fewer and fewer Jews. He said the State of Israel would be destroyed and "we are working toward that goal day and night."
  22. ↑ Hamas Minister of the Interior and of National Security Fathi Hammad Slams Egypt over Fuel Shortage in Gaza Strip, and Says: "Half of the Palestinians Are Egyptians and the Other Half Are Saudis," Memritv Clip 3389, http://www.memri.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/3389.htm, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAfENxzv2mc
  23. ↑ "Hamas official tells Gazans: O Muslims, wherever you find a Zionist Jew, you must kill him". The Times of Israel. 26 July 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  24. ↑ Toameh, Khaled Abu. "Abbas condemns 'murderous terror attack' on PA convoy". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909.
  25. ↑ Issacharoff, Avi. "Something is rotten in the terrorist kingdom of Hamas". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909.
  26. ↑ "Guardian, Independent and Telegraph ignore Hamas official's call for genocide > CAMERA UK". CAMERA UK. 16 July 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  27. ↑ "'A Fatwa for Genocide' – Wiesenthal center slams Hamas charter". The Jerusalem Post. 14 July 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2020. The Simon Wiesenthal Center slammed Hamas in a press release on Sunday, pointing out that the terrorist group's charter contains "a Fatwa for genocide" and the statement by senior Hamas official Fathi Hammad, who called on Palestinians living around the world to "go out and slaughter and kill Jews."
  28. ↑ Rasgon, Adam. "Hamas official walks back call to Palestinian Diaspora to kill 'Jews everywhere'". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 16 July 2019. But our brothers [in the diaspora] are still preparing. They are trying to prepare. They are warming up. A long time has passed with them warming up. All of you 7 million Palestinians abroad, enough of the warming up. You have Jews everywhere and we must attack every Jew on the globe by way of slaughter and killing, if God permits. Enough of the warming up
  29. ↑ "Hamas official calls on Palestinians abroad to kill Jews". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  30. ↑ Aly, Heba (24 April 2014). "The New Humanitarian | Islamic law and the rules of war". www.thenewhumanitarian.org. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
Political offices
Preceded by
Said Seyam 		Minister of Interior of the Gaza Strip
2009–2014 		Succeeded by
Rami Hamdallah
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