IRAN military officials have reported that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has been assassinated.
No one has come forward to claim responsibility for the alleged assassination in Tehran.
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Israel has vowed to kill Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders following the group’s October 7 attack that killed 1,200 people and saw 250 others taken hostage.
Israel says about 116 hostages are still captive in Gaza and Prime Minister Benjamine Netanyahu has been pressured over his handling of the war.
However, Netanyahu has vowed that he will not stop until Hamas is destroyed.
No details have been released on how Haniyeh was reportedly killed.
Iranian state television reported on Haniyeh’s death early Wednesday with analysts immediately placing the blame on Israel.
Israel hasn’t released a statement on Haniyeh’s death.
At the time of his death, Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday.
Iranian authorities didn’t give any information on Haniyeh’s death, stating that an investigation was underway.
“With condolences to the heroic nation of Palestine and the Islamic nation and the combatants of the Resistance Front and the noble nation of Iran, this morning [Wednesday] the residence of Mr. Dr. Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political office of the Islamic Resistance of Hamas, was hit in Tehran, and following this incident, he and one of his bodyguards were martyred,” read a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Both Israel and Hamas have been accused of war crimes by the International Criminal Court, however, both have denied these claims.
Israel has blamed civilian deaths on Hamas, accusing the group of using innocent Palestinians as human shields.
The deaths have led to many anti-Israel protests in the US, some of which have been accused of becoming hateful.
Hamas released a statement, saying Haniyeh’s death “will not go unpunished.”
Senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk condemned the assassination, according to a broadcast on the Hamas-run Al-Aqsa TV.
Hamas described the strike as a “severe escalation” that wouldn’t achieve its goals.
“This assassination by the Israeli occupation of Brother Haniyeh is a grave escalation that aims to break the will of Hamas,” Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas official told Reuters.
He said that Hamas would continue its path, saying “We are confident of victory.”
These claims have yet to be confirmed.
DEATH STRIKE
Earlier this year, Haniyeh gave a chilling reaction after being told his three sons and four grandchildren were reportedly killed in an airstrike.
Video showed Haniyeh playing with his hands and staring at the floor before carrying on with his day.
He claimed the deaths of his sons Hazem, Amir, and Mohammed were by the Israeli air force.
He also said in an interview with Al Jazeera that four of his grandchildren were killed – three granddaughters and one grandson.
Haniyeh said the death of his family wouldn’t pressure the group into softening its ceasefire negotiations with Israel.
“The enemy believes that by targeting the families of the leaders, it will push them to give up the demands of our people,” he said.
“Anyone who believes that targeting my sons will push Hamas to change its position is delusional…The blood of my sons is not dearer than the blood of our people.”
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