Ismail Haniyeh, the top leader of the designated Palestinian terror group Hamas, who was killed in Tehran on July 31, was a controversial figure whose death could escalate tensions in the Middle East and derail negotiations to end Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip.
Haniyeh was the political head of Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. Based in Qatar, he played a key role in internationally brokered talks to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.
Haniyeh, a US-designated terrorist, was considered a relative moderate within the organization.
Flash Analysis: The Killing of Ismail Haniyeh
The assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in a posh neighborhood in northern Tehran – just hours after the targeted killing of Lebanon’s top Hezbollah commander in Beirut – is a major embarrassment for the Islamic Republic and its security services. As recently as July 30, the Hamas leader met with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He then received a hero’s welcome in parliament during the inauguration ceremony of new president Masud Pezeshkian, which was attended by representatives of other Iranian proxy groups in the region.
The assassination of Haniyeh also effectively eliminates the possibility of a hostage deal between Hamas and Israel in the near future, prolonging the war in Gaza and dramatically increasing the risk of a wider conflict in the region.
In a swift response, Khamenei promised “severe punishment” for Israel and said revenge was “an obligation”. The last time Khamenei used such language was in April, when the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired hundreds of drones and rockets at Israel after the assassination of Iran’s top general at the Iranian consulate in Damascus.
A military response from Tehran seems certain at this stage, but the challenge for Khamenei and Iranian proxies is to calibrate it to avoid all-out war, which the Islamic Republic does not want at this point.
— Kambiz Fattahi, Director of Radio Farda RFE/RL
Hamas’s military wing is led by Yahya Sinwar, a Gaza-based leader believed to have masterminded the group’s Oct. 7 attack on Israeli territory that killed more than 1,200 people and prompted Israel’s retaliatory invasion of the Palestinian enclave later that month.
Haniyeh, who was born in a Palestinian refugee camp, died at the age of 62. No state or organization has claimed responsibility for his killing, although Tehran has accused Israel and he vowed revenge. Although Israel has not commented on the incident, Haniyeh has been high on Israel’s hit list since the October attack.
More than 39,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials in the territory, as international calls for a ceasefire have gone unanswered.
Haniyeh, who would be the main voice in any peace talks, was in Tehran attend the inauguration Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who was sworn in on July 30. The two leaders were pictured together during the visit in photos released by Pezeshkian’s office.
Haniyeh was born in the Al-Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City. His family comes from what is now the Israeli port of Ashkelon, north of the Gaza Strip. The family fled the area during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and moved to Gaza.
Haniyeh joined Hamas as a university student shortly after it was founded in 1987 following the start of the first intifada protesting the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.
That year, Haniyeh was arrested and briefly imprisoned for participating in anti-Israel protests. He also graduated in 1987 with a degree in Arabic literature from the Islamic University of Gaza.
In 1988, Haniyeh was arrested again and imprisoned for six months, and in 1989 he was sentenced to three years in prison for his involvement with Hamas.
After his release in 1992, Haniyeh was among hundreds of Hamas members and supporters deported to southern Lebanon. Haniyeh spent a year in the Marj al-Zahour camp before returning to Gaza to become dean at his alma mater, the Islamic University of Gaza.
When Hamas founder Ahmed Yassin was released from an Israeli prison in 1997, Haniyeh was called to head his office and the two developed a close relationship. Haniyeh’s prominence within Hamas quickly rose, and he was chosen to represent the group in the Palestinian Authority, which administers part of the West Bank.
Haniyeh and Yassin narrowly escaped an Israeli airstrike in September 2003 that targeted their residence in Gaza City. Yassin was killed six months later in an Israeli airstrike.
In the 2006 Palestinian parliamentary elections, Haniyeh led the list of Hamas candidates.
76 out of 132 parliamentary seats went to Hamas under the slogan “change and reform”.
With the majority secured, the newly appointed Prime Minister Haniyeh set about forming a government.
Weeks of negotiations to form a coalition government between Hamas, its arch-rival Fatah and other Palestinian groups have failed — in large part because Hamas has refused to accept terms set by the United States, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union, including recognition of the state of Israel.
Shortly after the landslide victory, Hamas said it would not back down from its goal of replacing Israel with an Islamic state and indicated it would resist negotiations to resolve the long-running conflict with Israel.
Haniyeh eventually formed a government composed mostly of Hamas members and technocrats.
In presenting his government’s plan, Haniyeh also called on the United States and Europe not to follow through on their threats to stop aid to the Hamas-led government unless it recognizes Israel, renounces violence and abides by agreements under previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements aimed at a two-state solution.
Haniyeh said he considered continuing the Palestinian struggle for independence a “legitimate right”. He also expressed openness to talks with international negotiators to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“Our government will make every effort to achieve a just peace in the region, end the occupation and restore our rights,” he said, even as Hamas remains steadfast in its refusal to recognize the state of Israel.
In June 2007, open violence broke out between Hamas and Fatah, and Hamas took full control of the Gaza Strip. Shortly after, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed the Hamas-led government.
Internal conflicts between Palestinian groups led to a de facto division of control over the Palestinian territories, with the West Bank controlled by the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas controlling the Gaza Strip.
Israel, which withdrew its forces from the Gaza Strip two years ago, imposed a land, sea and air blockade on the Hamas-controlled territory, which remains in effect.
In 2011, the United States requested that Qatar provide headquarters to the political leadership of Hamas to facilitate communications. Haniyeh moved to Doha in 2016 and replaced Khaled Mashal as head of Hamas’s political office the following year.
The US State Department has added Haniyeh to its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists, a Washington classification targeting terrorist groups and leaders who threaten the stability of the Middle East.
The State Department noted that Hamas was designated a foreign terrorist organization in 1997 and added to the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists in 2001.
Extending the terrorist designation to Haniyeh himself, the State Department explained: “Haniyeh has close ties to the military wing of Hamas and has been an advocate of armed struggle, including against civilians. He has allegedly engaged in terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens. Hamas is responsible for an estimated 17 American lives lost in terrorist attacks.”
After Hamas’ deadly surprise attack on Israeli cities on October 7, Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders appeared in a video thanking God for the success of the attack.
Three of Haniyeh’s sons – Hazem, Amir and Haniyeh – have reportedly been killed in Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.
Haniyeh is survived by his wife and cousin Amal Haniyeh, with whom he had 13 children, including eight sons and five daughters.
