Arrangements are being made to transfer Amal Haniyeh, wife of the head of the Hamas politburo, Ismail Haniyeh, and some of his children and grandchildren, and even the families of his private guards, from the Gaza Strip to settle down in Qatar, revealed Palestinian sources.
The sources added that they would be transferred to Doha once the Rafah border crossing with Egypt reopens, following a long closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The well-informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Haniyeh family had arranged for the long move to Qatar, where the Hamas leader has settled since the beginning of the year.
Haniyeh’s wife was supposed to join him early last March with two of her children, her son Mohammed and her youngest daughter, but travel restrictions related to COVID-19 delayed their plans.
Haniyeh, who arrived in Qatar in January, decided to stay in Doha for a while. Hamas said at the beginning that he might extend his stay until the end of the year, but as his family is joining him, reports talked about a long-term settlement there.
Haniyeh left the Gaza Strip on December 2 last year, to Cairo, and from there to Turkey, Qatar, Oman, Iran and Malaysia. It was the first time that he had left the coastal enclave, except for short visits to Cairo, since he assumed the leadership of Hamas in May 2017.
Hamas said Haniyeh would remain abroad and would continue to run the movement from Qatar.
