Palestinian resistance leader Osama Hamdan takes leadership of Hamas following Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination on July 31. Hamdan is considered one of the prominent leaders of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas and a key figure in the Palestinian resistance.
Who is Osama Hamdan?
Osama Hamdan was born in Kuwait in 1965 and lived there until 1991. His family originates from the Palestinian village of Al-Batani Al-Sharqi, which was depopulated by Israel during the 1948 Palestine war. Following their displacement, his family settled in the Gaza Strip.
Political History
Hamdan was an activist in the Islamic student movement during his university years (1982-1986). He joined Hamas in 1992 and was appointed as an assistant to the movement’s representative in Tehran, Imad Al-Alami. In 1994, he became the official representative of Hamas in Iran. In 1998, he was appointed as Hamas’ representative in Lebanon. In 2009, he took on the responsibility for the movement’s international relations.
Hamdan participated in dialogues between various Palestinian factions, contributing to their unification, efforts to rebuild Gaza, and preparing for elections. He is known for regularly participating in Hamas-held press conferences regarding the events and outcomes of the October 7, 2023 attacks, launched by the Palestinian resistance on the Israeli settlements surrounding the Gaza Strip.
As the movement’s representative in Lebanon, he regularly held conferences at Hamas’ office in Beirut, the country’s capital. He provided updates on the resistance’s stances and discussed developments related to prisoner exchanges and ceasefire agreements.