Mahmoud al-Zahar

Mahmoud Khaled Zahar, more commonly known as Mahmoud al-Zahar is the internationally designated co-founder and senior member of Hamas. As a representative of Hamas, Zahar has been vocal in his endorsement of violence against Jews and the destruction of Israel. On November 14, 2023, the U.S. Department of the Treasury designated Zahar as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).“United States and United Kingdom Take Coordinated Action Against Hamas Leaders and Financiers,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, November 14, 2023, https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1907; Lina Alshawabkeh, “Hamas: Who are the group’s most prominent leaders?,” BBC News, July 31, 2024, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67103298.

Of Palestinian and Egyptian descent, Zahar attended university in Cairo and trained as a medical doctor. Zahar worked as a doctor in Gaza before officials removed him from his role due to his political positions. Lina Alshawabkeh, “Hamas: Who are the group’s most prominent leaders?,” BBC News, July 31, 2024, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67103298. Despite his dismissal, Zahar remained involved in health access, and established various medical and Islamic charities.“Mahmoud Al-Zahar,” European Council on Foreign Relations, accessed August 19, 2024, https://ecfr.eu/special/mapping_palestinian_politics/mahmoud_al_zahar_plc/.

Zahar helped found Hamas in 1988, reportedly serving as the organization’s first press spokesman.Ewen MacAskill, “Leadership may have passed to last founding member left alive,” Guardian (London), April 19, 2004, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/apr/20/israel1. Months after Hamas’s founding , Israeli authorities detained Zahar, later exiling him to Marj al-Zohour—a “No-Man’s Land” between Israeli army checkpoints in Israel and southern Lebanon—in 1992. Lina Alshawabkeh, “Hamas: Who are the group’s most prominent leaders?,” BBC News, July 31, 2024, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67103298; “Hamas-Iran links full of contradictions, but also interests,” Jerusalem Post, March 19, 2007, https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/hamas-iran-links-full-of-contradictions-but-also-interests; Associated Press, “Lebanon Shuts Borders To 400 Palestinians Kicked Out By Israel,” Deseret News, December 18, 1992, https://www.deseret.com/1992/12/18/19022132/lebanon-shuts-borders-to-400-palestinians-kicked-out-by-israel/. His time in Lebanon was short lived. He returned to Gaza later that year. Shortly after his return, Zahar was the subject of a failed Israeli assassination attempt that ultimately killed his oldest son, Khaled. An Israeli raid in 2008 killed his other son, Hussam, a member of Hamas’s armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. “Mahmoud al-Zahar,” European Council on Foreign Relations, accessed August 20, 2024, https://ecfr.eu/special/mapping_palestinian_politics/mahmoud_al_zahar_plc/; Allegra Straton, “Israelis kill Hamas leader's son in Gaza raid,” Guardian (London), January 15, 2008, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jan/15/israelandthepalestinians.allegrastratton; “Hamas leader's son killed in Israeli attack,” Guardian (London), September 10, 2003, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/sep/10/israel1.

In 2006, Zahar was elected to the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Lara Keay, “Who are the key leaders of Hamas – inside Gaza and beyond?,” Sky News, August 6, 2024, https://news.sky.com/story/who-are-the-key-leaders-of-hamas-inside-gaza-and-beyond-13042603. Although he rarely gives interviews or speeches, Zahar is reportedly one of Hamas’s more conservative leaders. “Mahmoud al-Zahar,” European Council on Foreign Relations, accessed August 20, 2024, https://ecfr.eu/special/mapping_palestinian_politics/mahmoud_al_zahar_plc/. Zahar was a close associate of Ismail Haniyeh, the deceased chief of Hamas’s political bureau between 2017 and 2024. “United States and United Kingdom Take Coordinated Action Against Hamas Leaders and Financiers,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, November 14, 2023, https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1907. Zahar maintains close associations to Iran and has thanked the country for its continued support of Hamas. “United States and United Kingdom Take Coordinated Action Against Hamas Leaders and Financiers,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, November 14, 2023, https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1907. Zahar has been an outspoken critic of Israel, often advocating violence against Jews in the process.

Zahar’s activities have directly contributed to Hamas’s ongoing campaigns of violence. On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a mass attack on Israel, sending hundreds of fighters across the border into Israeli towns while simultaneously launching a rocket barrage toward Israel.Josef Federman and Issam Adwan, “Hamas surprise attack out of Gaza stuns Israel and leaves hundreds dead in fighting, retaliation,” Associated Press, October 7, 2023, https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-rockets-airstrikes-tel-aviv-11fb98655c256d54ecb5329284fc37d2. Hamas killed approximately 1,200 people in the attack and took hostage at least 240 civilians and soldiers.Peter Saidel and Dov Lieber, “Hamas Took More Than 200 Hostages From Israel. Here’s What to Know.,” Wall Street Journal, November 6, 2023, https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/hamas-hostages-israel-gaza-41432124; “Israel revises Hamas attack death toll to ‘around 1,200,’” Reuters, November 10, 2023, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-revises-death-toll-oct-7-hamas-attack-around-1200-2023-11-10/.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury designated multiple Hamas officials the aftermath of October 7. In the third round of sanctions on November 14, 2023, the U.S. Department of the Treasury designated Zahar as an SDGT.United States and United Kingdom Take Coordinated Action Against Hamas Leaders and Financiers,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, November 14, 2023, https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1907. Shortly after, the United Kingdom added Zahar to its financial sanctions list on December 13, 2023. “CONSOLIDATED LIST OF FINANCIAL SANCTIONS TARGETS IN THE UK,” Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, January 25, 2024, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65b2442a160765001118f8ca/Counter-Terrorism__International_.pdf. Several countries and international bodies followed suit and added Zahar to its financial sanctions lists.“Consolidated List,” Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, accessed August 19, 2024, https://www.dfat.gov.au/sites/default/files/regulation8_consolidated.xlsx; “Consolidated Canadian Autonomous Sanctions List,” Government of Canada, accessed August 19, 2024,  https://www.international.gc.ca/world-monde/assets/pdfs/international_relations-relations_internationales/sanctions/sema-lmes.pdf.

Also Known As

Extremist entity
Hamas
Type(s) of Organization:
Political, religious, social service provider, terrorist, violent
Ideologies and Affiliations:
Islamist, jihadist, Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated group, pan-Islamist, Qutbist, Sunni
Position(s):
Palestinian Foreign Minister

  • Designations
  • Rhetoric

United States

  • The U.S. government designated “Mahmoud Khaled Zahhar” as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist on November 14, 2023.FOOTNOTE

Australia

  • The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade added “Mahmoud Khaled Zahhar” to its Consolidated List on January 22, 2024.FOOTNOTE

Canada

  • The Government of Canada added “Mahmoud al-Zahar” to its Consolidated Canadian Autonomous Sanctions List on February 2, 2024.FOOTNOTE

Japan

  • The Ministry of Finance added “Mahmoud Khaled Zahhar” to its Economic Sanctions and Targets List on March 5, 2024.FOOTNOTE

United Kingdom

  • The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation added “Mahmoud Zahar” to its list of Financial Sanctions Targets on December 13, 2023.FOOTNOTE

May 9, 2006

<p><em>In an interview with PBS Frontline:</em></p>

<p>&ldquo;Hamas is going to destroy Israel?&nbsp;<em>[laughs]</em>&nbsp;Because we have a nuclear weapon and F-16 jets and Apache helicopters and because, all the time, we are killing Israelis this is policy that is not acceptable. We are [using] primitive weapons to defend ourselves, to push the Israelis outside our land. So I think the question should be answered by the Israelis: Who is going to destroy the other? The people who occupied our area in 1948, who reoccupied our area in 1956, the people who reoccupied our land and Arab land in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt in 1967, who went to Lebanon and killed thousands of people in the refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila. Who is going to destroy whom?&rdquo;<span class="footnote"> Frontline, &ldquo;Extended Interviews Mahmoud Zahar,&rdquo; PBS, May 9, 2006, <a href="https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/palestine503/interviews_zahar.html">https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/palestine503/interviews_zahar.html</a>.</span></p>

May 9, 2006

In an interview with PBS Frontline:

“Hamas is going to destroy Israel? [laughs] Because we have a nuclear weapon and F-16 jets and Apache helicopters and because, all the time, we are killing Israelis this is policy that is not acceptable. We are [using] primitive weapons to defend ourselves, to push the Israelis outside our land. So I think the question should be answered by the Israelis: Who is going to destroy the other? The people who occupied our area in 1948, who reoccupied our area in 1956, the people who reoccupied our land and Arab land in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt in 1967, who went to Lebanon and killed thousands of people in the refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila. Who is going to destroy whom?” Frontline, “Extended Interviews Mahmoud Zahar,” PBS, May 9, 2006, https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/palestine503/interviews_zahar.html.

September 22, 2022

Speech at Gaza’s Omari Mosque regarding Jewish visits to Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa Mosque:

“The continuation of the Zionist aggression and their brutality against Jerusalem and the holy shrines will be the cause of a major battle…[dragging] the entire region into an open religious war.” “Hamas threatens violence over ‘violations against’ holy site,” Arab Weekly, September 23, 2022, https://thearabweekly.com/hamas-threatens-violence-over-violations-against-holy-site.

May 26, 2021

In an interview with Al Jazeera:

“It is our duty to cooperate with [Iran, Syria, and Hizbullah] on all levels, in order to liberate the land and get rid of this cancer…Iran has been targeted by the Israeli entity, which killed Iranian leaders. [Israel] incited America to place an [economic] siege on Iran. Therefore, Iran is the enemy of our enemy. Syrian lands are occupied, including the Golan Heights. Syria is the enemy of our enemy.” “Senior Hamas Official Mahmoud Al-Zahar: This Land Is Not Suitable For A Two-State Solution; The Israelis Should Leave – Netanyahu Should Go Live With His Father In The U.S., And Lieberman With His Father In Russia,” Middle East Media Research Institute, May 26, 2021, https://www.memri.org/reports/senior-hamas-official-mahmoud-al-zahar-land-not-suitable-two-state-solution-israelis-should.

May 26, 2021

In an interview with Al Jazeera:

“Lebanon – where Hizbullah is – has been attacked and its lands occupied, and it is also the enemy of our enemy. Why should we not cooperate with the enemy of our enemy in order to liberate our land? We have a common enemy and one land, so why not cooperate in order to liberate it? I don't just accept this. I think it is our duty to cooperate on all levels, in order to liberate the land and get rid of this cancer on our land.”“Senior Hamas Official Mahmoud Al-Zahar: This Land Is Not Suitable For A Two-State Solution; The Israelis Should Leave – Netanyahu Should Go Live With His Father In The U.S., And Lieberman With His Father In Russia,” Middle East Media Research Institute, May 26, 2021, https://www.memri.org/reports/senior-hamas-official-mahmoud-al-zahar-land-not-suitable-two-state-solution-israelis-should.

March 17, 2017

“[R]emoving the Jews from the land they occupied in 1948 is an immutable principle because it appears in the Book of Allah…[Allah states] drive them out from wherever they have driven you out.

“Our position is: Palestine in its entirety, and not a grain of soil less…Allah did not define the 1967 borders or the 1948 borders. We will fight them [Jews] wherever we can — on the ground, underground, and if we have airplanes, we will fight them from the skies.”Dov Lieber, “Senior Hamas leader: Quran tells us to drive Jews out of Palestine’s entirety,” Times of Israel, March 16, 2017, https://www.timesofisrael.com/senior-hamas-leader-quran-tells-us-to-drive-jews-out-of-palestines-entirety/.

January 2014

“Hamas is not politically isolated. Do not exaggerate the difficulties with Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood is not finished.”Hazem Balousha, “Will Iran, Hamas Resume Relations?” Al-Monitor, December 30, 2013, http://www.al-monitor.com/pulseen/originals/2013/12/iran-hamas-resume-relations-funding.html.

Jun. 15, 2010

“We have liberated Gaza, but have we recognized Israel? Have we given up our lands occupied in 1948? We demand the liberation of the West Bank, and the establishment of a state in the West Bank and Gaza, with Jerusalem as its capital – but without recognizing [Israel]. This is the key – without recognizing the Israeli enemy on a single inch of land...”

“Our plan for this stage is to liberate any inch of Palestinian land, and to establish a state on it. Our ultimate plan is [to have] Palestine in its entirety. I say this loud and clear so that nobody will accuse me of employing political tactics. We will not recognize the Israeli enemy.”“Hamas in Their Own Words,” Anti-Defamation League, May 2, 2011, http://www.adl.org/anti-semitism/muslim-arab-world/c/hamas-in-their-own-words.html.

2010

In an interview with Reuters, accusing Europe of promoting promiscuity and political hypocrisy:

“We have the right to control our life according to our religion, not according to your religion. You have no religion, You are secular…You do not live like human beings. You do not (even) live like animals. You accept homosexuality.”“Don't preach to us, Hamas tells secular West,” Reuters, October 28, 2010, https://www.reuters.com/article/world/uk/dont-preach-to-us-hamas-tells-secular-west-idUSTRE69R211/.

May 9, 2006

In an interview with PBS Frontline:

“In human history, when your land is occupied you have only three options. Either you negotiate to restore your rights, you fight to restore your rights, or a combination of fighting and negotiating…We practiced negotiation, and Mr. Saeb Erekat [chief negotiator for the PLO], to this moment, is still talking about how negotiation is our strategic goal. They’ve spent since 1991 negotiating to nothing. When we resorted to an armed struggled, we succeeded in pushing the Israelis at least from the Gaza area. If you have a solution to push the Israelis out of the rest of our occupied territory, then it’s the time for negotiation. But in the meantime, the Israelis use negotiation to waste our time.” Frontline, “Extended Interviews Mahmoud Zahar,” PBS, May 9, 2006, https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/palestine503/interviews_zahar.html.

Jan. 25, 2006

“[Hamas] will not change a single word in its covenant [which explicitly calls for the destruction of Israel].”“Hamas in Their Own Words,” Anti-Defamation League, May 2, 2011, http://www.adl.org/anti-semitism/muslim-arab-world/c/hamas-in-their-own-words.html.

2006

Hamas’s armed wing “will remain, they will grow, they will be armed more and more until the complete liberation of all Palestine.”Anne Barnard, “Hamas Hardens Campaign Rhetoric - Leaders Praise Jihad and Renew Calls to Fight Israel,” Boston Globe, January 24, 2006, http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2006/01/24/hamas_hardens_campaign_rhetoric/?page=full.

Oct. 11, 2005

“The Taliban are 1,000 times more honorable than the American occupation and its collaborators… We are not a copy of the Taliban... Judge us according to what we are. Everyone must stop blaming the Taliban for things that in fact characterize the people of the West, who seek to turn the international community into a swamp of corruption and destruction, and to spread abomination and disease in the name of absolute freedom....”

“We are part of Allah's promise that Islam will enter Palestine and every home in the world, with a revelation of the power of Allah the Omnipotent, and a revelation of the inferiority of the infidels. Hamas is leading this plan in Gaza, the West Bank, and the 1948 territories, and the Muslim Brotherhood is leading it everywhere else. This is part of Allah's predestination.”“Hamas in Their Own Words,” Anti-Defamation League, May 2, 2011, http://www.adl.org/anti-semitism/muslim-arab-world/c/hamas-in-their-own-words.html.

Jan. 15, 2004

“She is not going to be the last because the march of resistance will continue until the Islamic flag is raised, not only over the minarets of Jerusalem, but over the whole universe.”“Hamas in Their Own Words,” Anti-Defamation League, May 2, 2011, http://www.adl.org/anti-semitism/muslim-arab-world/c/hamas-in-their-own-words.html.

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Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.

Fact:

On October 7, 2023, Hamas invaded southern Israel where, in the space of eight hours, hundreds of armed terrorists perpetrated mass crimes of brutality, rape, and torture against men, women and children. In the biggest attack on Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust, 1,200 were killed, and 251 were taken hostage into Gaza—where 101 remain. One year on, antisemitic incidents have increased by record numbers. 

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