Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh killed in Tehran raid

The most important person in Hamas' political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, was located and killed in Tehran last night, according to Iranian media. Later, Hamas also confirmed the death of their leader.

The Iranian side also reports on Haniyeh's death. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated that Haniyeh was killed. They also added, "condolences to the heroic nation of Palestine (...) and the combatants of the Resistance Front and the noble nation of Iran." Haniyeh's bodyguard was also killed along with the Hamas leader.

Hamas blames Israel for their leader's death. Haniyeh was said to have died in a "treacherous Zionist raid on his residence in Tehran," the organisation said in a statement.

The killing of the Hamas leader in Iran is a "cowardly act that will not go unpunished," reported Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV, quoting a high-ranking representative of the group.

Haniyeh lived in Qatar. However, he had come to Tehran, invited for the inauguration of the newly elected president of the country.

Before he was killed, he met in Tehran with Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and President Masoud Pezeshkian.

In April, three of Haniyeh's sons were killed in an Israeli airstrike. Last month, his sister was killed. In November 2023, Israel destroyed the residence of Hamas' leader's family in the Gaza Strip.