Ghazi Hamad (غازي حمد) was chairman of the border crossings authority in the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...

. He was Deputy Foreign Minister in the

Hamas government of 2012 The Hamas government of 2012 was the second ''de facto'' Hamas government in the Gaza Strip since the takeover of the Gaza Strip by Hamas in 2007. It was formed on 26 August 2012 and approved by the Gaza-based Hamas members of the Palestinian ...

.''Hamas seeks to enter the world of diplomacy''
Saleh al-Naami, Asharq Al-Awsat, 5 September 2012

Biography

Hamad was born 1964 in Yebna.

Education and career

He holds a bachelor's degree in veterinary medicine and speaks both English and

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

in addition to his native

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

. He is editor of the weekly message previously and was previously chief editor of the now-defunct Hamas-owned '' Al Watan'' newspaper. For 25 years he has been a member of Hamas, and he is the former editor-in-chief of the Hamas weekly newspaper '' Ar-Risala''. As of October 2004, Hamad was also the head of the Islamic Salvation Party. He assumed the role of a spokesman for Hamas, having gained considerable credibility through the popularity of his newspaper, his imprisonment by the

Palestinian National Authority The Palestinian National Authority (PA or PNA; ar, السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية '), commonly known as the Palestinian Authority and officially the State of Palestine,

under the Fatah administration as well as his five-year detention by the Israelis for activities related to Hamas. Mr. Hamad was editor at the time Al-Risala was shut down and he himself was imprisoned by the Palestinian Authority for publishing articles detrimental to the reputation of the PA, particularly its prison system. In August 2006, he wrote an article for Al Ayyam, a

Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

daily newspaper, stating that "Gaza is suffering under the yoke of anarchy and the swords of thugs," and "It is strange that, when a big effort is taken to reopen Rafah crossing to ease the suffering of the people, you see others who go to shell rockets towards the crossing. Or when someone talks about cease-fire and its importance, you find those who go and shell more rockets. Of course, I do not deny that the occupation committed massacres that cannot be justified. But I support negotiations over what can be fixed."nytimes.com
/ref> In 2006, responding to the

2006 shelling of Beit Hanoun The 2006 shelling of Beit Hanoun by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) happened on 8 November, when shells hit a row of houses in the Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, killing at least 19 Palestinians and wounding more than 40.

in which fire from Israeli tanks killed at least 18 Palestinians and injured 40, Hamad was quoted as saying "Israel should be wiped from the face of the Earth. It is an animal state that recognizes no human worth. It is a cancer that should be eradicated."bbc.co.uk
/ref> On 31 May 2007, Hamad stated his willingness to accept a

Palestinian state Palestine ( ar, فلسطين, Filasṭīn), officially the State of Palestine ( ar, دولة فلسطين, Dawlat Filasṭīn, label=none), is a state located in Western Asia. Officially governed by the Palestine Liberation Organization ( ...

within the pre-1967 borders. On 23 September 2011, after Mahmoud Abbas formally asked the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

for Palestinian statehood, Hamad stated that he was not consulted and was ill-prepared for it.IRIN Middle East News 09/23/11
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamad, Ghazi Hamas members Living people Palestinian journalists 1964 births