Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated early Wednesday , July 31 2024, morning in Iran, according to a statement from the Palestinian militant group.
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This development has raised fears of further escalation in a region already shaken by Israel’s war in Gaza and the worsening conflict in Lebanon.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirmed Haniyeh’s death hours after he attended the swearing-in ceremony for the country’s new president. The Guards have stated they are investigating the incident.
There has been no immediate comment from Israel. The Israeli military stated it was conducting a situational assessment but had not issued any new security guidelines for civilians.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin commented that Washington would work to ease tensions but affirmed that the United States would help defend Israel if it were attacked.
This news follows less than 24 hours after Israel claimed to have killed a Hezbollah commander responsible for a deadly strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, potentially hindering chances of any imminent ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
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Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters, “This assassination by the Israeli occupation of Brother Haniyeh is a grave escalation that aims to break the will of Hamas.”
He added that Hamas would continue its current path and expressed confidence in their eventual victory.
Iran’s top security body is expected to meet to decide on Iran’s strategy in response to Haniyeh’s death, a close ally of Tehran, according to a source familiar with the meeting.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the killing, and Palestinian factions in the occupied West Bank have called for a general strike and mass demonstrations.
Haniyeh, typically based in Qatar, has been a key figure in the Palestinian group’s international diplomacy. The ongoing war, sparked by a Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, has seen significant losses, including the deaths of three of Haniyeh’s sons in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza.
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