Her story will handed through generations,’ says PM Ismail Haniyeh Gaza – Mohammed Habib Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, leader of the Hamas government in Gaza, attended the funeral of renowned female Palestinian politician Mariam Farahat, it has emerged today. Thousands of mourners were spotted walking through during Farahat\'s funeral procession on Sunday.
\"Her story will be handed down through the generations,\" Prime Minister Haniyeh told mourners during his eulogy at the funeral.
Haniyeh also praised Farahat, who died at the age of 64, for her commitment to the Palestinian resistance.
Referring to her as “Heavens\' gift to earth,\" Haniyeh said she was \"an example to Palestinian women, all women, and the men of the Arab and Islamic Ummah.\"
Farahat, known by Palestinians as Umm Nidal (Mother of the Struggle), died on Sunday from complications arising from a previous operation on her bowels and gallbladder. She had been ill for months, after experiencing several strokes and open-heart surgery.
Born in 1949, in the Shajaeia neighbourhood in east Gaza, Farahat was considered a key figure in the Hamas movement. Her sons Nidal, Mohammed and Rawah all died while carrying out missions against the Israeli government. Nidal is often credited with creating the infamous Qassam rockets used by Hamas, while Mohammed died in 2002 during a shootout with Israeli forces in which he killed nine settlers.
Farahat’s funeral was also attended by the First Deputy of the Speaker of the Legislative Council, Ahmed Bahr and numerous other government officials, who paid tribute to the “courage” of the deceased icon.