Umm Nidal

Maryam Mohammad Yousif Farhat (Arabic: مريم محمد يوسف فرحات), or Mariam Farahat (24 December 1949 – 17 March 2013), more commonly known as Umm Nidal (Arabic: أم نضال) was a Palestinian activist known by Palestinians as the "Mother of Martyrs" for her support for her sons' involvement in attacks against Israel. Three of her sons were members of al-Qassam Brigades, 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. Two more sons, who were also members of al-Qassam, were killed in the Gaza war more than a decade after her death. Farhat was a close associate of the Hamas leadership for over two decades. She 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. 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.