Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi
| Abdel Aziz Al-Rantisi | |
|---|---|
| Native name | عبد العزيز علي عبد المجيد الحفيظ الرنتيسي |
| Born |
23 October 1947 Yibna, Mandatory Palestine |
| Died | 17 April 2004 (aged 56) Gaza City, Gaza Strip |
| Cause of death | Assassination |
| Alma mater | Alexandria University |
| Known for | Hamas leader |
| Spouse(s) | Rasha Al Adloni |
Abdel Aziz Ali Abdul Majid al-Rantisi (Arabic: عبد العزيز علي عبد المجيد الحفيظ الرنتيسي; 23 October 1947 – 17 April 2004), nicknamed the "Lion of Palestine", was the co-founder of the Palestinian movement Hamas along with Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.
Rantisi was Hamas's political leader and spokesman in the Gaza Strip following the Israeli killing of Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in March 2004. Rantisi opposed compromise with Israel and called for the creation of a Palestinian state (including the whole of the State of Israel) through military action against the Jewish state.
On 17 April 2004, the Israeli Air Force killed al-Rantisi by firing Hellfire missiles from an AH-64 Apache helicopter at his car.
Rantisi was born in Yibna, near Jaffa on 23 October 1947. In 1948 Arab-Israeli War, his family was expelled to the Gaza Strip. In 1956, when he was nine, Israeli soldiers killed his uncle in the Khan Younis massacre: as he explained to Joe Sacco, this fact was very important for his future life. He studied pediatric medicine and genetics at Egypt's Alexandria University, graduating first in his class. He was a certified physician. In his time in Egypt he became a deeply convicted member of the Muslim Brotherhood. In 1976, he returned to Gaza to teach parasitology and genetics at the Islamic University.
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