The political leader of Hamas has been killed in an airstrike on his home in the Iranian capital Tehran.
Ismail Haniyeh’s death was confirmed by the Palestinian militant group, which said Israel was behind the attack.
Fuad Shukr, a senior commander of Hezbollah who was in the same building, was also killed according to the Israeli military.
More than 30 members of Haniyeh’s family, including his sister, brother and several children and grandchildren, have been killed in strikes since Hamas launched its deadly attack on Israel last October.
But there are concerns the death of the leader himself will further escalate the conflict.
A spokesman for the Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In a statement, Hamas said Haniyeh died ‘in a Zionist airstrike on his residence in Tehran’, where he was attending the swearing-in of Iran’s new president Masoud Pazeshkian.
It continued: ‘Hamas declares to the great Palestinian people and the people of the Arab and Islamic nations and all the free people of the world, brother leader Ismail Haniyeh a martyr.’
There are fears that Iran will retaliate against the killing of a political ally on its territory, with state media quoting one former Revolutionary Guard commander saying Israel will ‘pay a heavy price’.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is internationally recognised, described the killing as a ‘cowardly act and dangerous development’.
A statement from the Foreign Ministry of Qatar – the country where Haniyeh had been based since 2017 – said: ‘This assassination and the reckless Israeli behaviour in continuously targeting civilians in Gaza will lead the region to slide into chaos and undermine the chances of peace.’
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said wider war in the Middle East is not ‘inevitable’, adding: ‘I think there’s always room and opportunities for diplomacy.’
Almost 1,200 people were killed in the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas last year, while around 250 others were taken hostage – some of whom still have not returned home.
In response, Israel vowed to kill Haniyeh and other leaders in the group.
Now that aim has been realised, it appears likely that negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza will be put on hold.
Haniyeh had been a leading member of the Palestinian delegation working out terms for a pause or end to the devastating conflict in the region.
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