GAZA CITY: The first woman elected to Hamas’s political leadership has been killed in an Israeli strike on the Gaza Strip, the group said on Thursday.

Jamila Al-Shantee, 64, was killed on Wednesday evening in Jabalia, in northern Gaza, Hamas said. She became the first woman to be elected to the movement’s political bureau, composed of 20 members, following an internal ballot in 2021.

Another woman, Fatima Shurab, joined the political top brass at the same time, through an automatic appointment as president of its women’s commission.

Shantee had a long history in Palestinian politics, having been elected in 2006 to the Palestinian Authority’s parliament.

The chamber has not met since Hamas ousted the PA from Gaza and took power in 2007, prompting Israel to intensify a crippling blockade imposed on the territory.

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2023