Hamas leader killed in Iran

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh killed

The group said in a statement released on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, that Ismail was killed in an Israeli attack on his residence in Iran.

“Hamas informs Palestinians, Arabs, Islamic nations and all other free peoples around the world that our brother, our leader Ismail Haniyeh, has been killed in an attack at his residence in Tehran,” the statement said.

Iran’s special forces, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which was also tasked with protecting Haniyeh during his visit, announced that the Hamas leader and his bodyguards had been killed.

The group said: “Early this morning, Ismail Haniyeh’s residence in Tehran was shot, killing one of his guards. The cause is under investigation and will be announced soon.”

Hamas said Ismail died hours after attending the swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, who was sworn in on Tuesday, July 30, 2024.

There was no immediate confirmation from Israel whether he had killed the man.

At the same time, the Iranian military also confirmed the news of the (political) death of the Hamas leader, but said that the cause of death was still unclear and that an investigation into the truth had begun.

Ismail Haniyeh, 62, has been a member of Hamas since the late 1980s.

In 1989, Israel imprisoned him for three years as it hunted down occupied Palestinians, and upon his release he immediately fled to the out-of-control area between Israel and Lebanon.