Ismail Haniyeh, the political chief of Hamas, was assassinated in Iran, a statement from the Palestinian terror group said on Wednesday. The Islamist faction said Haniyeh was killed in “a treacherous Zionist raid on his residence in Tehran”. Haniyeh’s body guard was also killed in the attack.
“Early this morning, the residence of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran was struck, resulting in his and one of his body guards’ martyrdom. The cause is under investigation and will be announced soon,” Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards said in a separate statement.
Haniyeh had been a target after the October 7, 2023, attack in Israel by Hamas that left 1,195 people dead and began the Israel-Hamas war. An Israeli air strike had killed 10 members of Haniyeh’s family in June 2024.
Who Was Ismail Haniyeh?
Ismail Haniyeh was a Palestinian politician and Hamas leader and served as the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority in 2006–07, after winning a majority of in the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections.
However, infighting within the group led to the dissolution of the government and the establishment of an autonomous Hamas-led administration in the Gaza Strip, following which Haniyeh served as the leader of the de facto government in the Gaza Strip.
In 2017, he replaced Khaled Meshaal as the political chief of Hamas.
How Haniyeh’s Rise in Hamas Began
Haniyeh was born at a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip in 1962. While he went to schools run by UNRWA, in 1981, he joined the Islamic University of Gaza to study Arabic literature. Haniyeh led an Islamist student association affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood at the university.
Haniyeh was among the founding members of Hamas in 1988 and was known to be a close aide of the militant group’s spiritual leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. It was in 1997 that he began climbing the ranks in Hamas, becoming Yassin’s personal secretary and his close confidant. According to reports, both Haniyeh and Yassin were targets of a failed assassination attempt by Israel in 2003.
In 2006, Hamas won a majority in the Palentinian legislative elections, following which Haniye became the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority.
However, the international community reacted to Hamas’s win by freezing aid to Palestine, leading to financial stress on the governing body. In June 2007, after months of tension, President Mahmoud Abbas of the Fatah party dismissed Haniyeh and dissolved his government. Haniyeh then served as the leader of the de facto Hamas government in the Gaza Strip.
Israel-Hamas Tensions
After Haniyeh took over as the leader of the de facto Hamas government in the Gaza Strip, Israel imposed sanctions and restrictions on the Gaza Strip. The blockade intensified after a barrage of rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip into Israel in January 2008. This was followed by years of firing between Israel and Hamas, which continues till today.
In 2014, the de facto Hamas government in Gaza formally resigned to enable a united government with Fatah. In 2017, as Yahya Sinwar took over as the prime minister in this united government, Haniyeh became the chief of Hamas political bureau.
How Haniyeh Took Hamas Overseas
In December 2019, Haniyeh left the Gaza Strip and went to Turkey and Qatar, to represent Hamas abroad. In the following years, he visited the funeral of Qassem Soleimani of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the inauguration of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and also called on Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar to congratulate him on the take over of Afghanistan. In October 2022, Haniyeh also met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
During the Israel-Hamas War that began in October 2023 after Hamas attacked Isarel leaving thousands dead, Haniyeh led the Hamas delegation in negotiations mediated by Qatar and Egypt.
On Tuesday, Haniyeh attended Iran’s new President Masoud Pezeshkian’s swearing-in ceremony, following which he was assassinated in the country.
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