Ayman Taha
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Ayman Taha (Arabic: أيمن طه) (died 7 August 2014) was a senior Hamas official and the organization's spokesman in the Gaza Strip. Taha was the son of a co-founder of Hamas and The New York Times claimed he was also a former "Hamas fighter".[1]
Ayman was born to Mohammad Taha, a co-founder of Hamas and director at the Islamic University of Gaza. In 1998, Ayman Taha served as President of the university's Student Council. He later served as a commander of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades in Bureij during the Second Intifada in the early 2000s.[2]
Hamas
After the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip in June 2007, Taha became the group's spokesman for the territory. In February 2009, after returning from a Palestinian delegation in Egypt discussing a long-term truce with Israel, Egyptian authorities prevented Taha from entering the Gaza Strip with over $11 million. Instead, he deposited it in an Egyptian bank in al-Arish.[3] On 30 March, he announced in a discussion on a Nazareth-based radio station the Hamas "would not remain open forever" concerning the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.[4] In July 2009, Taha noted that a "culture of resistance" was being promoted in Gaza after the Gaza War, stating "Armed resistance is still important and legitimate, but we have a new emphasis on cultural resistance... After the war, the fighters needed a break and the people needed a break."[1]
Accusations of corruption
In February 2014, Ayman Taha was arrested and investigated for "misconduct, illegal profiteering, and betrayal of trust".[5]
