Ismail Haniyeh assassinated. A video of Hamas leader watching Oct 7 attacks on Israel resurfaces

Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was assassinated reportedly by an Israeli strike in Iran, where he had gone to attend the inauguration of new president Masoud Pezeshkian. It is not clear when he was killed, but the confirmation from the Palestinian militant group came in the early hours of Wednesday (Jul 31), a day after Haniyeh attended Pezeshkian inauguration.

The Hamas statement said it “declares...brother leader Ismail Haniyeh a martyr," adding that he was killed “in a Zionist airstrike on his residence in Tehran after he participated in the inauguration of Iran’s new president.”

This could be the most important kill for Israel, which at the time of this report has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier vowed revenge for the October 7, 2023 terror attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian groups on Israeli soil that left at least 1,175 people dead and nearly 251 people taken hostage. The Israeli invasion of the Palestinian enclave Gaza followed, with nearly 40,000 people killed.

Also Read: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh killed in a ' treacherous Zionist raid' in Tehran: IRGC confirms fatal attack

Now, a video has emerged, apparently showing Haniyeh watching the October 7 attacks and celebrating.

What the video shows

In the undated video whose location is not clear, Haniyeh, who spent most of his time in Qatar, was seen standing in front of a flat-screen TV which appears to show the Arabic channel al-Jazeera reporting on the October 7 attacks.

Moments later, he is seen organising a prayer of thanks. Haniyeh and a group of men then kneel to pray.

Watch the video below

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Who was Ismail Haniyeh?

Before and during the war, Haniyeh was the political voice of Hamas and led several negotiations with Israel mainly held in Qatar, where he lived most of the time.

He rose to prominence from his starting days as an activist for the Palestinian cause. Born in 1962 in a Palestinian refugee camp then controlled by Egypt, the chairman of the Hamas political bureau is a graduate in Arabic literature.

Watch: Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh along with his bodyguard killed in Tehran, IRGC confirms in statement

After the elections held in Palestinian territories in 2006, Haniyeh was named prime minister of Palestine, but he was dismissed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas the next year. Haniyeh continued to be the leader of Palestinians in Gaza from 2006 till 2017 when the role was passed on to Yahya Sinwar.

(With inputs from agencies)