Janice R. Andrews
TEHRAN: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps and Hamas have reported the death of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Given that Haniyeh was a pivotal person in charge of the organization’s political activities while residing outside, his passing is a huge blow to Hamas.
After Haniyeh attended the inauguration of the new Iranian president, Hamas claimed in a statement that Israel had carried out a “raid” on his Tehran apartment. The Israeli military claims that it does not react to stories published in international media, but it has neither verified or refuted the accusations. Senior Israeli officials, however, had earlier pledged to remove Hamas leadership in retaliation for the organization’s attack on Israel on October 7.
It’s uncertain when Haniyeh passed away precisely. Tuesday saw the inauguration of the new Iranian president, and on the same day, images of Haniyeh meeting with Iranian officials in Tehran were made public by Hamas. Haniyeh had a pivotal role in the continuing negotiations as a major negotiator in the hostage and peace negotiations with Qatar and Egypt about Gaza.
The Middle East is going through a particularly tumultuous time when Haniyeh is killed. Hezbollah and Israel’s growing hostilities pose a threat to turn into a larger regional war. Amid a deteriorating humanitarian situation, Hamas persists in its fight against Israel’s soldiers in Gaza.
A member of Hamas’ Political Bureau named Musa Abu Marzouk vowed that Haniyeh’s death “will not pass in vain,” while another Hamas leader declared that the organization is “ready to pay various prices.” Only a day had passed since Israel had said that a drone attack in the southern suburbs of Beirut had killed Fu’ad Shukr, the senior military officer for Hezbollah. This is the biggest escalation since October 8 in this region, which is a bastion of Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran.
Although it refused to provide more comments, the White House confirmed that Haniyeh had passed away. Since the commencement of Israel’s assault in Gaza, Haniyeh would be the second senior Hamas leader to be slain. Saleh Al Arouri, the deputy chief of Hamas’ political bureau, was killed in an Israeli bombing in Beirut, the organization said in January. Arouri was a founding member of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of Hamas.
Other significant figures who have passed away before include included co-founders Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz Rantisi, who were slain in 2004 a few weeks apart. The Israeli government views Haniyeh as partially responsible for the October 7 bombings, according to CNN Political and Foreign Policy Analyst Barak Ravid. Although his death is not military significance, it will have a big impact on the ongoing hostage and truce discussions.
“This assassination is, in a way, just a matter of when, not a matter of if,” Ravid stated.
Ismail Haniyeh: Who is he?
Born in a camp for refugees close to Gaza City, Ismail Haniyeh, now sixty-two, joined Hamas in the latter part of the 1980s during the First Intifada. Haniyeh climbed the ranks as Hamas gained strength, and in 2004 he joined a covert “collective leadership” group. As the group’s leader by 2017, he was promptly classified as a “specially designated global terrorist” by the US government.
Earlier this year, Haniyeh met with foreign leaders, including as Chinese ambassador Wang Kejian and Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, and took part in peace negotiations with former US President Jimmy Carter.
According to Hamas, three of Haniyeh’s sons and four of his grandkids were murdered in Israeli attacks in April. Based in Qatar at the time, Haniyeh emphasized that their deaths would not impact the current negotiations for a truce and hostages.
“Whoever thinks that by targeting my kids during the negotiation talks and before a deal is agreed upon that it will force Hamas to back down on its demands, is delusional,” he stated.
With possible ramifications for the whole Middle East, Ismail Haniyeh’s passing represents a turning point in the continuing war between Israel and Hamas. It is unclear how this killing would affect the stability of the area as tensions continue to grow.
