Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, has been killed in a targeted raid on his residence in Tehran, the Palestinian group confirmed in a statement. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran has corroborated the news, stating that Haniyeh was killed alongside one of his bodyguards.
Hamas attributed the assassination to a “treacherous Zionist raid,” reflecting ongoing tensions between Israel and the Palestinian group. The Israeli military has not commented on these reports. The incident marks a significant escalation in the conflict, as Haniyeh was a central figure in negotiations for a potential ceasefire in Gaza.
Haniyeh had travelled to Tehran to attend the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday.
Ismail Haniyeh, born in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza, was elected as the head of Hamas’s political bureau on May 6, 2017, succeeding Khaled Meshaal. Haniyeh’s rise within Hamas began during his university years at Gaza’s Islamic University, where he studied Arabic literature and joined the Islamic Student Bloc, a precursor to Hamas. He was a close aide to Hamas co-founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and was imprisoned multiple times by Israeli authorities. Haniyeh faced numerous assassination attempts and deportations, leading to a life marked by both leadership and peril.
Earlier this year, Haniyeh endured personal tragedy when an Israeli attack claimed the lives of three of his sons in northern Gaza. Despite these losses, he remained a pivotal figure in Gaza, seen by many Palestinians as a pragmatic leader striving for a ceasefire to end the relentless conflict in the region.
The IRGC’s Sepah news website confirmed the details of the attack, emphasizing the loss of Haniyeh and his bodyguard. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has announced an investigation into the assassination, labeling it a significant and provocative act.
Reactions have been swift and polarized. Senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk denounced the assassination as a “cowardly act that will not go unpunished,” as reported by Hamas-run Al-Aqsa TV. In contrast, Israel’s Minister of Heritage, Amichai Eliyahu, welcomed the killing, stating it “makes the world a little better” and called for “no mercy for these mortals” in a post on social media platform X. Eliyahu suggested that such actions would bring peace and comfort, strengthening Israel’s ability to coexist peacefully with those who seek peace.
