In today's article, we are going to delve into the fascinating world of Umm Nidal. Whether you are interested in learning more about this figure, learning about this particular topic, or discovering the events that marked a specific moment in history, this article will provide you with detailed and relevant information about Umm Nidal. Through a comprehensive analysis, we will explore different aspects related to Umm Nidal, from its origins to its impact today. No matter what your interest is, this article will offer you a comprehensive and enriching vision of Umm Nidal.
Maryam Mohammad Farhat | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1949 Shuja'iyya, Gaza City, Gaza Strip |
| Died | 17 March 2013 (aged 63) Gaza City, Gaza Strip, Palestinian territories |
| Nationality | Palestinian |
| Other names | Umm Nidal |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Known for | Being the "Mother of Martyrs" |
| Children | 10, including Nidal Farhat and Wissam Farhat |
Maryam Mohammad Yousif Farhat (Arabic: مريم محمد يوسف فرحات), or Mariam Farahat (1949 – 17 March 2013), more commonly known as Umm Nidal (Arabic: أم نضال) was a Palestinian activist popularly known by Palestinians as the "Mother of Martyrs" for her support for her sons' involvement in attacks against Israel.[1][2] Three of her sons were members of Hamas[ambiguous] who conducted or participated in the organisation of attacks against Israeli civilian and/or military targets and were killed by Israeli forces, while she was still alive. (A fourth son, also a member of Hamas, was killed in the Gaza war more than a decade after her death.) She was a close associate of the Hamas leadership for over 2 decades. Farhat had strong militant credentials, including an appearance carrying a gun in a video in which she advised one of her sons, Mohammed, on tactics before he attacked a Jewish settlement. Mohammed, 17, killed five Israelis before he was shot dead in the assault in the occupied Gaza Strip in 2002. Farhat’s eldest son, Nidal, was killed in 2003 as he was preparing for another attack. A third son, Rawad, died earlier this year in an Israeli air strike on his car, which was carrying rockets.[1] She also was a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council for Hamas. Farhat was one of the most prominent Islamist female leaders in Gaza and became an icon of the Second Intifada.[1]
She was born in Shuja'iyya neighborhood in Gaza City in 1949.
She had six sons.[1] She had a total of ten children.[3]
Her eldest son Nidal was one of the first manufacturers of the Qassam rocket and helped to make rockets for Hamas[2] and was killed in February 2003 while preparing to conduct an attack.[1] A third son Rawad died in 2005 in an Israeli airstrike on his car carrying Qassam rocket.[1] Another son Wisam did time in Israeli prison[2] after attempt of killing then he was the mastermind behind various terrorist acts such as Atzmona Attack, Nahal Oz attack and was killed by the IDF in December 2023 during Israel-Hamas War.
In the 1990s, she sheltered Hamas military leaders such as Emad Akel.[2]
She came to public attention in 2002 after being filmed carrying a gun and advising her 17-year-old son Muhammad Farhat before his March 2002 suicide attack against Israelis.[1] Muhammad entered the Gaza Strip former settlement of Atzmona and opened fire and threw hand grenades at Israeli students enrolled in a pre-military school, killing five and wounding 23 others. After the attack, he was shot dead. After Muhammad's death, Farhat said she "wished had 100 boys like Muhammad."[2]
She became known as "Khansa of Palestine" (Arabic: خنساء فلسطين), a reference to Al-Khansa (one of the companions of Muhammad), all four of whose sons were killed in the Battle of Qadisiyah. Umm Nidal got this title because of her great sacrifices - as in the Palestinian and Islamic culture - during the Second Intifada and before that, where her house was home to many prominent leaders of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, especially Emad Akel, who was assassinated in her home in 1993 by the Israel Defense Forces.[4] Otzem Pre-Military Preparatory School in the Israeli settlement of Atzmona
Farhat ran as a candidate of Hamas in the 2006 Palestinian legislative election.[1] She was successfully elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council.[2]
In an interview published in both the Israeli Arab weekly Kul al-Arab and the London-based Arabic-language daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi, Umm Nidal said she was proud of her sons. In her December 2005 interview,[5] Umm Nidal said:
Farhat died on 17 March 2013, aged 64, from multiple organ failure, in Gaza City. Her death was announced by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing.[2] Her funeral was attended by 4,000 Palestinians, including top Hamas leaders such as Ismail Haniyeh.[6]