Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas resistance group and his bodyguard was assassinated in Tehran, said Iranian state media. They were killed after the building they were staying at was struck, said local media report.
The confirmation from Hamas came after the Revolutionary Guards of Iran informed about the ‘martyrdom’ of the leader. The assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran is a “cowardly act that will not go unpunished”, Hamas-run Al-Aqsa TV cited senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk as saying.
“With condolences to the heroic nation of Palestine and the Islamic nation and combatants of the Resistant Front and the noble nation of Iran, this morning [Wednesday] the residence of Mr. Dr. Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political office of the Islamic Resistance of Hamas, was hit in Tehran, and following this incident, he and one of his bodyguards were martyred”, read IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps) statement.
The statement said Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the inauguration ceremony of Iran’s President Pezeshkian on Tuesday.
Haniyeh’s last meeting was with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Israeli Defence Force (IDF) responded to that the last meeting of Haniyeh was with Khamenei and “Islamic Jihad’s Ziyad-al Nakhalah — two of the terrorist organizations who have been attempting to kill Israelis using weapons made and funded by Iran”.
Did someone ask for a photo-op of Iran and the leaders of their proxies?
Iran’s Khamenei met with Hamas’ Ismail Haniyah and the Islamic Jihad’s Ziyad-al Nakhalah — two of the terrorist organizations who have been attempting to kill Israelis using weapons made and funded by… https://t.co/ZqiRCPUKxW
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 30, 2024
IDF tweeted this yesterday night, hours before Haniyeh was assassinated.
IRGC gave no details on how Haniyeh was killed. It said the attack is under investigation. Haniyeh left the Gaza Strip in 2019 and lived in exile in Qatar. The top Hamas leader who is in Gaza now is Yahya Sinwar.
Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud reporting from Deir el-Balah in Gaza, said the killing was “significant” for the people of Gaza because he was the leader of negotiations they hoped would lead to a ceasefire.
“Palestinians across Gaza and the West Bank also view Ismail Haniyeh as a moderate leader who is much more pragmatic compared to other leaders who head the military side of the movement,” Mahmoud told Al Jazeera.
Many worry Haniyeh’s killing could now lead to a further escalation of the war, he added.
