Assassination of Haniyeh Spurs Promised Backlash

IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER, AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI, has promised to retaliate against Israel for the assassination of Hamas’s political leader, Ismail Haniyeh. Khamenei warned that Israel had set itself up for severe consequences after Haniyeh was killed in an early Wednesday morning (July 31) airstrike in Tehran. Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s inauguration on Tuesday (July 30). On that day, he was photographed meeting Pezeshkian in Tehran.

Khamenei posted on his official website that avenging Haniyeh’s death was their duty and described Haniyeh as “a valued guest in our home”. He also posted on X (formerly Twitter), accusing “the criminal, terrorist Zionist regime” of carrying out the strike. Khamenei wrote that Haniyeh “was ready to give his life for this noble cause for many years”.

Hamas accused Israel of carrying out a “strike” on his home, but the Israeli military did not provide any comments to CNN. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard supported Khamenei’s warning of revenge against Israel. In a statement, it said, “Without a doubt, this crime by the Zionist regime will face a strong and painful response from the powerful resistance front, especially from Islamic Iran”.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Israel had vowed to target Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders after the group’s attack on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 Israelis and resulted in around 250 hostages being taken.

Iranian officials have not provided details about Haniyeh’s assassination and the Revolutionary Guard mentioned that the incident was still being investigated. The attack occurred after a separate Israeli strike in Lebanon on Tuesday, which reportedly killed Fouad Shukur, a senior Hezbollah military leader.

Since 2019, Haniyeh had been living in exile in Qatar after leaving the Gaza Strip. Yahya Sinwar, the current Hamas leader in Gaza, is believed to have planned the October 7 attack that triggered the latest conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Haniyeh’s assassination comes at a crucial time, as the Biden Administration is working to broker a temporary ceasefire and hostage release between Hamas and Israel. This assassination might cause Hamas to withdraw from the ceasefire and hostage-release talks. During his visit to Manila, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said he had no “additional information to provide” regarding Haniyeh’s assassination. However, he voiced optimism about a diplomatic resolution on the Israeli-Lebanon border, saying he did not believe war was inevitable and that there was still room for diplomacy.

WHO WAS ISMAIL HANIYEH?

Haniyeh, a long-time member of Hamas, had been managing the group’s political activities from abroad in recent years. He became a prominent leader during the ongoing conflict with Israel in Gaza. Haniyeh’s death is a major setback for Hamas amid the rising tensions in the Middle East due to the war in Gaza. It also raises important questions about the future of peace talks between Israel and Hamas.

As the political leader of Hamas, Haniyeh played a crucial role in talks with international mediators during stalled negotiations over hostages and ceasefires with Israel, following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7.

Born in a refugee camp near Gaza City of refugee parents expelled from Askalan—now known as the Israeli city of Ashkelon—Haniyeh joined Hamas in the late-1980s during the First Intifada, or uprising, according to cnn.com. His. He was put in prison in Israel several times for his part in the uprising before he was deported. After returning to Gaza, he steadily rose through the ranks of Hamas over the next decade.

In 2004, after the deaths of Hamas’s previous leaders, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz Rantisi, Haniyeh was made part of a secret “collective leadership”. After Hamas won the Palestinian Legislative Council polls in 2006, Haniyeh became prime minister of the Palestinian Authority (PA) government.

However, his term was brief. He was dismissed after a year by PA President Mahmoud Abbas. Haniyeh was the only PA prime minister who was voted to office on popular mandate. Despite being recognized as Hamas’s leader in Gaza for many years, Haniyeh did not consolidate his position as the political leader of the group until 2017. He succeeded Khaled Meshaal, who had led Hamas from exile since 2004.

In 2018, Haniyeh was labelled a “specially designated global terrorist” by the US. This designation came during a time of heightened tensions between Washington and the Palestinians, following then President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. But, despite being labelled by Washington as such, Haniyeh, unlike Hamas’s military leaders, travelled internationally as the political head of the organization.

In the months following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, Haniyeh played a significant role in international negotiations regarding the conflict, including efforts to secure the release of hostages in Gaza. Haniyeh said he was ready for truce if Israel withdrew from Gaza. In May, he had gone on record saying that Hamas would still strike a deal only if a permanent end to fighting in the region was ensured.

In early-July this year, Haniyeh was in touch with Qatar and Egypt mediators to seek ways to end the conflict, during which he also continued to meet other world leaders and officials. For instance, in March, he met Chinese diplomat Wang Kejian in Qatar to discuss the conflict in Gaza.

Haniyeh had personally felt the impact of the war in Gaza. In April, the Israeli police arrested one of his sisters for allegedly communicating with members of Hamas. A little more than a week later, three of his sons and four of his grandchildren were killed in Israeli airstrikes, according to CNN. But, despite personal losses, Haniyeh said the ceasefire and hostage negotiations would go on.