PROFILE – Haniyeh: Prominent Palestinian political leader and symbol of Hamas

Gaza City, Palestine: The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) announced on Wednesday that the head of its political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, had been assassinated in an Israeli raid on his residence in the Iranian capital of Tehran.

Hamas issued a statement mourning Haniyeh, saying he was killed “in a treacherous Zionist raid on his residence in Tehran after participating in the inauguration ceremony of the new Iranian president.”

Iranian state television also confirmed Haniyeh’s death in Tehran, saying an investigation into the assassination is underway and findings will be announced later.

Israel has yet to comment on the major incident.

Haniyeh’s last public appearance was on Tuesday at Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s inauguration ceremony in Tehran.

Haniyeh was a prominent Palestinian political leader and a symbol of Hamas. He served as the Palestinian prime minister between 2006 and 2007.

In May 2017, he was elected for the first time the head of the Hamas group’s political bureau and reelected for a second term in 2021.

Before Haniyeh’s assassination, Israel killed Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmad Yasin on March 22, 2024, and then killed the resistance group’s prominent leader, Abdel Aziz Al-Rantisi, on April 17.

Haniyeh served in the Hamas leadership for 20 years, taking on various roles such as resistance group leader in Gaza, deputy leader, and eventually top leader.