Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh Killed in Israeli Airstrike in Tehran

July 30, 2024, Ismail Haniyeh, a key political leader of Hamas, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Tehran early on Tuesday morning. The strike, which occurred around 2:00 AM local time (22:30 GMT), targeted a building for war veterans where Haniyeh was reportedly staying.

The 62-year-old Haniyeh was a central figure in Hamas and played a pivotal role in negotiations for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. His death could significantly affect ongoing peace efforts, as he was a crucial player in talks brokered by Qatar, the United States, and Egypt. Israeli authorities have yet to confirm their involvement in the attack. However, an Israeli government press office briefly posted a photo of Haniyeh with the caption “eliminated” before removing it.

According to Iranian media, Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the inauguration of Iran’s new President Masoud Pezeshkian, who was sworn in on Tuesday. The assassination has prompted condemnation from several countries, including Iraq, Turkey, Russia, and Qatar. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the US had no prior knowledge of or involvement in the attack.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has vowed “harsh punishment” against Israel and declared three days of national mourning following Haniyeh’s death. This development follows Israel’s recent claim of killing Fuad Shukr, a top military commander of Hezbollah, in a separate airstrike. Hezbollah has not yet confirmed Shukr’s death but acknowledged that the building targeted in Beirut was associated with him.

Haniyeh, who was a prominent figure in Hamas since the late 1980s, was previously imprisoned by Israel and later exiled to a no-man’s-land between Israel and Lebanon. He was appointed as the Palestinian prime minister in 2006 after Hamas won the national elections but was dismissed a year later following violent clashes with Fatah. Despite his dismissal, Haniyeh continued to govern Gaza and was elected head of Hamas’s political bureau in 2017. The US Department of State designated him as a terrorist in 2018.

Haniyeh’s official funeral is scheduled to be held in Tehran on Thursday, with burial set to take place in Doha, Qatar, on Friday. This attack comes amid ongoing violence between Israel and Hamas, with Israel’s military response to Hamas’s attack on October 7, which killed 1,200 people, resulting in significant casualties in Gaza. According to the Hamas-run health ministry, at least 39,445 people have been killed in Gaza as a result of the conflict.