Breaking: Hamas Confirms Leader Ismail Haniyeh Killed In Iran. Gaza-based militant outfit Hamas that carried out the October 7 strike in Israel may have been shot down to its knees after its leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran. This may also put an end to Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel.
In an official statement, Hamas said Haniyeh, who was in Iran to attend President Masoud Pezeshkian’s swearing-in ceremony, was killed in ‘a treacherous Zionist raid’ on his residence in Tehran. However, Israel has claimed responsibility for the killing of the Hamas leader.
A member of the Hamas political bureau Mousa Abu Marzook called the assassination ‘cowardly’, saying it won’t go unanswered. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the attack was carried out early Wednesday.
Who Was Ismail Haniyeh?
Ismail Haniyeh was the head of Hamas political bureau. He was a close aide and assistant to Hamas’ co-founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. Haniyeh was the prime minister of the state of Palestine in 2006 but was dismissed by the President of the Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas in 2007.
He was time and again detained by Israel for his participation in protests in the First Intifada and activism against the state of Israel.
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In recent years, Haniyeh spent much of his time in Qatar in exile. He was one of the key leaders seeking a ceasefire in the ongoing Gaza war. Haniyeh was one of the negotiators for the ceasefire deal. He was regarded as a moderate leader and was quite popular. Meanwhile, Israel continues its onslaught in Gaza. The IDF killed a senior Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukr in Beirut, Lebanon.