Hamas leader killed while visiting Iran

Many Hamas leaders spend "much of their lives evading assassination attempts by Israel"

(Image credit: AFP via Getty Images)

published 31 July 2024

What happened

Ismail Haniyeh, one of the most senior Hamas members, was killed at his residence in Tehran in a raid by Israel, according to Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps and Hamas.

The Palestinian militant group that controls Gaza said that Haniyeh was "killed in a treacherous Zionist raid." Haniyeh had taken part in the inauguration ceremony of the new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian yesterday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said. Most Hamas leaders "keep a low public profile," said the BBC. Others have spent "much of their lives evading assassination attempts by Israel." The "targeting of two senior leaders of two Iran-backed groups" within just hours "would be an audacious escalation in the region," The New York Times said, referring to the strike on Hezbollah's leader Fuad Shukr.

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Arion McNicoll is a freelance writer at The Week Digital and was previously the UK website’s editor. He has also held senior editorial roles at CNN, The Times and The Sunday Times. Along with his writing work, he co-hosts “Today in History with The Retrospectors”, Rethink Audio’s flagship daily podcast, and is a regular panellist (and occasional stand-in host) on “The Week Unwrapped”. He is also a judge for The Publisher Podcast Awards.