Senior officials have told the BBC that leaders of the Palestinian militant group Hamas are in shock after the assassination of its political leader Ismail Haniyeh.
Hamas said Haniyeh, 62, was killed in an Israeli strike early on Wednesday in Iran. Widely regarded as the group’s overall leader, he had been a prominent member since the late 1980s.
As head of Hamas’s Qatar-based political office, Haniyeh has led Hamas’ outreach efforts to regional governments and played a central role in its alliance with Tehran and Hamas’s proxy groups across the Middle East.
He has been wanted by Israeli officials for months and the BBC understands his security team recently vetoed a proposed trip to Lebanon amid concerns for his safety.
But he played only a minor role in Hamas’s military operations and so may have felt freer to act more openly than some of his colleagues, as evidenced by his three trips to Iran since October 7 attacks in Israel.
Questions about Haniyeh’s succession were being raised before his death. Hamas’ constitution prohibits any political leader from serving more than two terms. A new candidate will be chosen in 2025.
But his death could now spark an internal war between the movement’s rival factions.
Haniyeh himself was seen by Arab diplomats as a pragmatist compared to Hamas’s leaders—he was behind the group’s policy of reaching out to regional governments, in contrast to the military options favored by Mohammed Deif and other leaders.
Deif heads Hamas’s military wing. Earlier this month, Israel said it had targeted Deif in deadly air strikes on Gaza, but there was no confirmation of his death.
Meanwhile, Iran has blamed Israel for the death of Ismail Haniyeh and vowed to avenge his killing.
Source: BBC News
