Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran on Wednesday, according to separate statements from the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards.
The Islamist faction mourned Haniyeh’s death, stating he was killed in “a treacherous Zionist raid on his residence in Tehran.”
Haniyeh had attended Iran’s new president’s swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday.
“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 Revolutionary Guards said.
The Iranian state media, citing a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported that the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh is under investigation and results will be announced later today. The IRGC extended condolences to “the heroic Palestinian nation, the Muslim Ummah (community), fighters of the resistance front, and the noble Iranian nation over the martyrdom of the senior Palestinian resistance leader,” state media reported.
Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
White House Aware of Reports of Ismail Haniyeh’s Death
The White House has acknowledged the reports of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh being killed in Iran, a spokesperson said, but declined to immediately comment further.
Who is Ismail Haniyeh?
Ismail Haniyeh (29 January 1962 – 31 July 2024) was a Palestinian politician who served as the chief political leader of Hamas, the organization that has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007.
He was the chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau. From 2023 until his death, he resided in Qatar. He was killed in Iran by Israel on 31 July 2024.
Born in the al-Shati refugee camp in the Egyptian-occupied Gaza Strip in 1962, Haniyeh pursued higher education at the Islamic University of Gaza. He became involved with Hamas during his studies and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Arabic literature in 1987. In 1997, he was appointed to head a Hamas office and subsequently rose through the organization’s ranks.
In 2006, Haniyeh led the Hamas list that won the Palestinian legislative elections, resulting in his appointment as Prime Minister of the State of Palestine. However, on 14 June 2007, Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian National Authority, dismissed him from office. Haniyeh did not acknowledge Abbas’ decree due to the ongoing Fatah–Hamas conflict and continued to exercise prime ministerial authority in the Gaza Strip.
He served as the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip from 2006 until February 2017, when Yahya Sinwar replaced him. On 6 May 2017, Haniyeh was elected chairman of Hamas’s Political Bureau, succeeding Khaled Mashal. Following his election, he relocated from the Gaza Strip to Qatar. On 31 July 2024, Iranian media reported that Haniyeh had been killed during a visit to Iran.
