Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Tehran raid

New Delhi, July 31: Ismail Haniyeh, the political chief of Hamas, has been assassinated in Tehran, according to a statement from the group that governs Gaza, which blamed Israel for his death. Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed when their residence in the Iranian capital was struck.

Hamas stated that Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the inauguration ceremony of Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian. Israel has not yet responded to the reports of his death.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confirmed the assassination, announcing, "Early this morning, the residence of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran was struck, resulting in his and one of his bodyguard's martyrdom. The cause is under investigation and will be announced soon."

Haniyeh, regarded as Hamas’s top leader for overseeing the group's political operations while in exile in Qatar and Turkey, was a significant figure in the Palestinian resistance movement.

 Other high-ranking Hamas figures include Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif. Sinwar, who Israel holds partly responsible for the October 7 raid that killed about 1,200 people and led to the kidnapping of over 200, has gone underground.

Deif, the elusive leader of Hamas's military wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, remains one of Israel's most wanted individuals.