News Brief
Ismail Haniyeh, Political Chief Of Palestinian Terror Outfit Hamas, Assassinated In Iran: What We Know So Far
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran's capital Tehran on Wednesday (31 July).
In a statement, the Palestinian terror outfit Hamas confirmed that Haniyeh and his bodyguard were killed in what they described as an Israeli raid on his residence.
Haniyeh had attended the swearing-in ceremony of Iran's new president on Tuesday (30 July).
The Islamist terror outfit mourned the death of Haniyeh, who it said was killed in "a treacherous Zionist raid on his residence in Tehran".
"Early this morning, the residence of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran was struck, resulting in his and one of his bodyguards' martyrdom. The cause is under investigation and will be announced soon," the Iranian Revolutionary Guards said, Reuters reported.
According to both Hamas and Iranian media, Ismail Haniyeh was a long-time political leader of the Palestinian terror group.
Haniyeh, aged 62, was born in a refugee camp near Gaza City and joined Hamas during the First Intifada in the late 1980s.
As Hamas gained power, Haniyeh advanced through its ranks, becoming part of a secret "collective leadership" in 2004 and being named the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority in 2006.
Over the years, Haniyeh participated in peace talks with former US President Jimmy Carter and met with various global leaders, including the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, and Chinese diplomat Wang Kejian earlier this year.
In April, Israeli airstrikes killed three of Haniyeh's sons and four of his grandchildren, according to Hamas.
At that time, Haniyeh, who was based in Qatar, insisted their deaths would not impact ongoing ceasefire and hostage talks.
While Haniyeh did not hold significant military authority, he was reportedly in charge of Hamas' international relations and was the key interlocutor with Egyptian and Qatari mediators on the hostage and ceasefire deal in Gaza.
Haniyeh's assassination is likely to have significant influence on those negotiations.
The Israeli government sees Haniyeh as one of those responsible for Hamas’ 7 October attack, and Israeli authorities have vowed to hunt down those responsible for the attack 10 months ago that has now embroiled the Middle East in conflict.
