Iran announced the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh during his visit to Tehran, where he attended the inauguration ceremony of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pazashekian.
This event is significant both operationally and morale-wise. However, it is unlikely to impact the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip or the negotiations for the release of Israeli hostages.
Eight hours after the preemptive targeting of senior Hizbullah military leader Fouad Shuker by the Israeli Air Force in the Al-Dahyah neighborhood of Beirut on July 30, Iran officially confirmed that Ismail Haniyeh was killed early in the morning of July 31 in Tehran, along with his bodyguard Wasim Abu Shaaban.
Hamas confirmed his death, blamed Israel, and vowed revenge.
Israel has remained silent, with Prime Minister Netanyahu instructing ministers not to comment publicly.
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas condemned the killing.
Israeli intelligence sources report that Ismail Haniyeh, based in Qatar, was aware of the planned attacks by Hamas on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7.
Accounts from Tehran state that Haniyeh and his bodyguard were killed in their apartment at a guest house for foreign leaders.
The preemptive targeting was possibly by a submarine-launched missile from a distance at the bedroom where Haniyeh was staying.
This event is a double blow to both Hamas and Iran.
Haniyeh played a crucial role in managing Hamas’s political strategies, building connections throughout the Muslim world, and securing donations to fund its terror activities.
He was a key figure in Hamas’s alignment with Shiite Iran, as opposed to Khaled Mashaal, who favors closer ties with the Sunni “Muslim Brotherhood” axis, including Qatar, Turkey, and Pakistan.
Iran faces criticism for failing to adequately protect Haniyeh on its soil, marking a significant security lapse.
This incident adds to other security failures in Iran, such as the assassination of Fakhri Mohsen Zadeh, the so-called father of Iran’s nuclear program, by the Israeli Mossad in November 2020.
Haniyeh’s decision to leave Doha, Qatar, and attend the Iranian president’s inauguration in Tehran proved fatal, providing an opportunity for Mossad to target him.
Before his death, Haniyeh met with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Islamic Jihad leader Ziad Nachala.
It is believed that the Israeli Mossad avoided targeting Haniyeh in Qatar for two reasons: Qatar’s role as a mediator in the Israeli hostages’ negotiations and operational considerations.
Hamas claims that Haniyeh’s death will not alter its campaign against Israel, which has previously seen the elimination of key leaders, including Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder of Hamas. Musa Abu Marzouk, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, condemned the assassination, calling it “a cowardly act that will not go unpunished.”
The movement will elect a new leader to replace Haniyeh.
This is another severe blow to Hamas’s morale and operations following the killing of Muhammad Deif, the supreme commander of Hamas’s military wing in Gaza.
Yahya Sinwar, a rival of Haniyeh, is likely to benefit from this development, as he commands Hamas in Gaza and holds a crucial bargaining chip – Israeli hostages.
Hamas asserts that Haniyeh’s killing is part of an Israeli effort to pressure its leadership regarding the hostages and maintains that this will not alter its stance.
The death of Ismail Haniyeh will not end the conflict in the Gaza Strip as long as Yahya Sinwar and other members of Hamas’s military leadership remain alive.
