Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh has been killed in Tehran, the Iranian capital, according to a joint statement from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps and Hamas on Wednesday.
His death represents a significant blow to the militant group, removing a key figure who led its political operations while living abroad.
In a statement, Hamas accused Israel of targeting Haniyeh in a “raid” on his residence in Tehran, following his participation in the inauguration of Iran’s new president.
The Israeli military has declined to comment on reports from foreign media, although senior officials have previously vowed to eliminate Hamas and its leadership in retaliation for the group’s attack on Israel on October 7.
It remains unclear exactly when Haniyeh, who was a crucial interlocutor with Egyptian and Qatari mediators for ongoing hostage and ceasefire talks in Gaza, was killed. The new Iranian president was sworn in on Tuesday, and Hamas released photographs the same day of Haniyeh meeting with Iranian officials in Tehran.
The killing occurs at a particularly tense moment for the Middle East, with escalating confrontations between Israel and Hezbollah threatening to erupt into a wider regional conflict, while Hamas continues its battle against Israel’s military in Gaza amid a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
Musa Abu Marzouk, a member of Hamas’ Political Bureau, stated that Haniyeh’s death would “not pass in vain,” and another Hamas official declared that the group is “ready to pay various prices.”
News of Haniyeh’s death arrived just a day after Israel announced it had killed Hezbollah’s most senior military official, Fu’ad Shukr, in a drone strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, a densely populated area that serves as a stronghold for the Iran-backed group. This strike marked the most serious Israeli escalation since hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel began on October 8.
The White House confirmed it has seen reports of Haniyeh’s death but declined to comment further, according to a spokesperson.
Haniyeh would be the second senior Hamas leader to be killed since the onset of Israel’s war in Gaza. In January, the group reported that its deputy head of the political bureau, Saleh Al Arouri, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut. Arouri was regarded as one of the founding members of Hamas’ military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
Nevertheless, the group has previously managed to endure the deaths of other key leaders, including its co-founders, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz Rantisi, who were killed weeks apart in 2004.
CNN Political and Foreign Policy Analyst Barak Ravid noted that the Israeli government views Haniyeh as one of those responsible for the October 7 attacks by Hamas. While he may not hold military significance, Ravid emphasized that his death “will have a significant influence” on the ongoing hostage and ceasefire negotiations.
“This assassination is, in a way, just a matter of when, not a matter of if,” Ravid remarked.
Who is Ismail Haniyeh?
Haniyeh, 62, was born in a refugee camp near Gaza City and joined Hamas in the late 1980s during the First Intifada, or uprising.
As Hamas gained power, Haniyeh advanced through the ranks, becoming part of a secret “collective leadership” in 2004. By 2017, he was the head of the group and had been designated a “specially designated global terrorist” by the United States shortly thereafter.
Throughout the years, he has participated in peace talks with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and has met with various world 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—asserted that their deaths would not derail ongoing ceasefire and hostage negotiations.
“Whoever thinks that by targeting my children during the negotiation talks and before a deal is reached will force Hamas to back down on its demands is delusional,” he stated.
