Hamas said in a statement that its leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed at his residence in Tehran in a raid by Israel.
The Palestinian group controlling Gaza said that Haniyeh was “killed in a treacherous Zionist raid”.
The group said he had participated in the inauguration ceremony of the new Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday.
“The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas mourns to our great Palestinian people, to the Arab and Islamic nation, and all the free people of the world,” it added.
Iran says it’s investigating Haniyeh’s death
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has offered its condolences following the death of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
A statement shared by its media arm Sepah News said the group was investigating “the cause and dimensions of the incident” and will announce the outcome later.
It added that Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were “martyred”.
The IRGC is a major military, political, and economic force in Iran, with close ties to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran’s foreign ministry says Haniyeh’s ‘blood will never be wasted’
An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman has said that Ismael Haniyeh’s “blood will never be wasted”, after the Hamas leader was assassinated in Tehran.
“Haniyeh’s martyrdom in Tehran will strengthen the deep and unbreakable bond between Tehran, Palestine, and the resistance,” Nasser Kanaani said, according to Iranian state media.
Israel is yet to respond or issue a statement.
Israel has not issued an official statement on Haniyeh’s death but there have been reactions from some politicians such as heritage minister Amichay Eliyahu, a member of Israel’s far right.
He wrote on X that Haniyeh’s death “makes the world a better place”.
