MEE Staff
Middle East Eye / July 31, 2024
Head of Hamas’s political bureau has been killed in Tehran in what has been called a ‘cowardly’ attack.
Hamas said its political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an Israeli strike in the Iranian capital Tehran on Wednesday, describing it as a “severe escalation” that several foreign ministries said risks further regional hostilities.
The Palestinian group said in a statement that Haniyeh, who lived in exile, was killed after a “treacherous Zionist” attack on his residence.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also confirmed Haniyeh’s death, hours after he attended a swearing-in ceremony for the country’s new president Masoud Pezeshkian.
“Haniyeh’s martyrdom in Tehran will strengthen the deep and unbreakable bond between Tehran, Palestine, and the resistance,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani was quoted as saying.
It was the second high-profile assassination to be attributed to Israel in a matter of hours, after a strike in Beirut killed a senior Hezbollah commander, heightening fears that the region was sliding towards a full-blown war.
Israel did not immediately comment on Haniyeh’s death and typically neither confirms or denies assassination attempts on foreign soil.
However, Israel’s minister of heritage, Amichay Eliyahu, praised the assassination, claiming it “makes the world a little better”.
“No mercy for these mortals.” Eliyahu said in a post on X.
Israeli officials have previously said they would hold all Hamas leaders accountable for the group’s 7 October attack on southern Israel.
Senior Hamas official Musa Abu Marzouk condemned the killing as a “cowardly act,” adding that “Hamas is an institution and an ideology that will not be affected by the assassination of any of its leaders.”
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also condemned the assassination, calling it “cowardly and dangerous”.
“I urge our people to unite, remain patient, and stand firm against the Israeli occupation,” he said, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
Yemen’s Houthis also denounced the killing, calling it a “terrorist crime and a flagrant violation of laws.”
Haniyeh, who had been one of the main interlocutors for mediators trying to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza, had been living in exile in Qatar but often travelled to Iran.
His killing could be seen as a huge embarrassment for Tehran and risks the Islamic Republic retaliating against Israel.
According to The New York Times, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council is holding an emergency meeting at the residence of the country’s supreme leader, a rare event reserved for extraordinary circumstances.
Iranian sources reported that the commander of the Quds Force, who oversees the network of militias aligned with Iran, would also be present at the meeting.
Since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, more than 60 members of Haniyeh’s family had been killed in Israeli strikes, including his sister, three of his sons, and three grandchildren.
In April, Haniyeh said: “Through the blood of the martyrs and the pain of the injured, we create hope, we create the future, we create independence and freedom for our people and our nation.”
‘Political murder’
Within hours of the assassination, several world leaders responded angrily to the escalation with the Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the “heinous” attack.
The ministry said that Haniyeh’s killing “once again shows that Israel’s Netanyahu government has no intention of achieving peace” and warned that the “region will face much larger conflicts if the international community does not intervene to stop Israel.”
Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov called the killing “an absolutely unacceptable political murder,” adding that it would “lead to further escalation of tensions.”
Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticized Israel’s war objective of destroying Hamas in Gaza as an unattainable precondition for a ceasefire.
“In my opinion, and many of my colleagues share this view, it is unrealistic to eradicate an organization that exists, has sufficient capabilities, and substantial support, including from the Muslim world,” Lavrov stated.
He also expressed support for the Palestinian cause and pledged to “continue to help restore Palestinian unity”.
