Hamas, a radical Palestinian organization, reported on Wednesday (July 31) that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran in the early hours of the morning, calling the attack a “serious escalation.”
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards confirmed Haniyeh’s death, stating that he had just attended the inauguration ceremony of Iran’s new president. Iran did not disclose the details of Haniyeh’s assassination, and the Revolutionary Guards stated that they are investigating the incident.
Hamas blamed the attack on Israel, accusing “Jewish nationalists” of attacking Haniyeh at his residence in Tehran.
The Hamas-affiliated news agency Shehab quoted Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk as saying that the operation was a “cowardly act” and vowed to respond to it.
Israeli authorities did not directly comment on the incident or claim responsibility for it.
The Israeli military stated that following reports of Haniyeh’s assassination, they would not change civil defense guidelines for civilians, such as instructing people to stay near bomb shelters.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comments from Reuters.
Less than 24 hours before the incident, Israel claimed that its forces had successfully killed senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in an attack. Israel believed this commander was behind a deadly attack on the Golan Heights.
Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters, “The Israeli occupation forces’ assassination of Haniyeh’s brother is a serious escalation aimed at destroying Hamas’ will.”
He said that Hamas would continue on its path, adding, “We are confident of victory, we are full of confidence in victory.”
In 2017, Haniyeh was appointed as the leader of Hamas. In 2019, he left the Gaza Strip and went into exile in Qatar, where he mainly handled the organization’s diplomatic affairs.
Apart from Haniyeh, Hamas has four other leaders, including Yahya Sinwar, the leader in the Gaza Strip, Mohammed Deif, the leader of the Qassam Brigades, Mahmoud al-Zahar, the co-founder of Hamas, and former Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Meshaal.
Following the outbreak of the Gaza war, Haniyeh shuttled between Turkey and the Qatari capital of Doha, serving as a negotiator in ceasefire talks or negotiating with Hamas’ ally, Iran.
In May of this year, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) stated that Haniyeh’s actions during the Gaza war constituted war crimes and crimes against humanity, seeking an arrest warrant against him.
(References: Reuters, Associated Press, Israel Times)