Ismail Haniyeh: From a Gaza refugee camp to Hamas leadership

Ismail Haniyeh, who served as the fourth Palestinian prime minister and the third political leader of Hamas, has died at the age of 62.

Hailing from a family of refugees expelled from historic Palestine during the Nakba in 1948, he grew up in northern Gaza's beachside al-Shati refugee camp. 

He ascended through the ranks of Hamas, starting as the secretary to the group’s founder, Ahmed Yassin, and eventually leading its political bureau.

In 2006, Hamas won Palestine's most recent legislative elections, and as the movement's top candidate, Haniyeh was tasked with forming a new government, which he led for a year. 

Read more: Ismail Haniyeh: From a Gaza refugee camp to Hamas leadership