Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh / Security Lense| News and Media| 31-July-2024
Hamas has announced that its political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Tehran. Iranian media reported that the attack targeted a building for war veterans where Haniyeh, 62, was staying. The airstrike occurred around 02:00 (00:00 GMT).
Haniyeh was considered the overall leader of Hamas and played a significant role in negotiating ceasefires in the Gaza Strip. His death could delay current ceasefire efforts in Gaza, which have been brokered by Qatar, the US, and Egypt.
Several countries, including Iraq, Turkey, Russia, and Qatar, have condemned the attack. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the US was not aware of or involved in the assassination. Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, has vowed harsh punishment against Israel and declared three days of national mourning.
While Israel has not officially commented on the attack, the Israeli government’s press office posted, then deleted, a photo of Haniyeh captioned “eliminated.” Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant indicated that Israel is not seeking to escalate the conflict with Hezbollah but is prepared for all scenarios.
Ismail Haniyeh was a prominent Hamas member since the late 1980s. He was imprisoned by Israel in 1989 and exiled to a no-man’s-land between Israel and Lebanon in 1992. Appointed Palestinian Prime Minister in 2006, Haniyeh continued to rule in Gaza after being dismissed in 2007. He was elected head of Hamas’s political bureau in 2017 and lived in Qatar for the past several years.
Haniyeh’s death comes shortly after Israel claimed to have killed Fuad Shukr, a top Hezbollah commander, in an airstrike in Beirut. This was in retaliation for a rocket attack in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights that killed 12 people. Hezbollah has not confirmed Shukr’s death but acknowledged that he was in the targeted building.
Following Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on October 7th, which killed 1,200 people, Israel has launched a military operation in the Gaza Strip, resulting in at least 39,445 deaths according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Haniyeh’s official funeral will be held in Tehran on Thursday, with burial planned for Friday in Doha, Qatar. His death marks a significant moment in the ongoing conflict between Israel and militant groups backed by Iran.
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