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On July 31, Ismail Haniyeh, leader of the Hamas Political Bureau, was attacked and killed in Tehran, the capital of Iran. He was visiting Tehran to attend the inauguration ceremony of the new Iranian president. As the top figure in Hamas, Haniyeh has spent most of his time in Qatar in recent years, leading Hamas' political activities there. Haniyeh was the right-hand man and personal secretary of former Hamas leader Yassin, and also served as the Prime Minister of Palestine. Why was he attacked overseas? Who did it? Why do most Hamas leaders live abroad?

>>How was the attack?

Go to Iran to attend the presidential inauguration

Killed in attack at home in Tehran with bodyguard

On July 31 local time, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a statement saying that Hamas Political Bureau leader Ismail Haniyeh and a bodyguard were attacked and killed in Tehran, the capital of Iran, but did not elaborate on the specific cause of Haniyeh's death.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement that Haniyeh was assassinated while attending the inauguration ceremony of Iran's new president in Tehran. He and an Iranian bodyguard were attacked at their residence. The statement said the cause of the incident is under investigation and the results will be announced later.

Hamas also confirmed on its official account that the leader of the Hamas political office, Haniyeh, died in an Israeli attack on Tehran on Tuesday. Hamas issued a statement accusing Israel of being the mastermind behind the assassination, saying that it was Israel that assassinated Haniyeh in Tehran.

Haniyeh is the top figure of Hamas and has spent most of his time in Qatar in recent years, where he leads Hamas' political activities. After the escalation of this round of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Haniyeh was the Hamas representative in the ceasefire negotiations and maintained close contact with Iran, Hamas's main ally. On April 10, 2024, Haniyeh's three sons and four grandchildren were confirmed to have been killed in an Israeli airstrike.

>>Who did it?

Suspected insider leaked whereabouts

He met Iran's supreme leader just before he was assassinated

After the news broke, Israel was immediately suspected of being the murderer behind the incident, but Israel has not yet responded. However, Israel has assassinated Iranian officials many times in recent years, and Israel usually does not respond to assassinations related to Mossad.

It was reported that Haniyeh met with Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei just hours before the assassination, raising the question of whether an insider leaked Haniyeh's whereabouts. A Hamas official said: "The mastermind behind this is ready to pay any price."

Hamas leaders said the killing of Haniyeh was a cowardly act and those who did it would not go unpunished. The assassination would not overthrow Hamas and warned that it was a serious escalation of the situation.

Hamas spokesman Zuhri said Hamas is an institution and an ideology that will not be affected by the assassination of its leader. He said Hamas is waging an open war to liberate Jerusalem and is ready to pay any price.

Madhorn, an analyst close to Hamas, said that Haniyeh's death was a heavy blow to Hamas, but there would be no chaos within Hamas. The death of Hamas' political leader showed that there was no "red line" in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and anything could happen.

>>Background

Former Prime Minister of Palestine

From Office Director to Hamas Leader

Haniya, 62, was born in a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. Growing up in turmoil and poverty, he doesn't even remember his date of birth. In 1987, he entered the Islamic University of Gaza to study Arabic literature. In this school with strong religious radical forces, he became an active member of the student movement.

Haniyeh met Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, who was later known as the spiritual leader of Hamas, at the university. In 1987, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip took to the streets to protest against the Israeli occupation through demonstrations and strikes. In order to liberate the Palestinians and recover the territories occupied by Israel, Yassin proposed the establishment of Hamas, and Haniyeh became one of the founders of Hamas.

In 1989, Israel declared Hamas an illegal organization and Haniyeh was imprisoned for three years. In 1992, Israel expelled Haniyeh and more than 400 Hamas members to the no-man's land between Israel and Lebanon. In 1993, Haniyeh was released and returned to Gaza, where he became the president of the Islamic University.

Due to his outstanding performance, Haniyeh was highly regarded by Yassin. Since 1998, Haniyeh was appointed director of Yassin's office, becoming Yassin's right-hand man and personal secretary, responsible for external liaison, and frequently liaison and mediation between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, thus consolidating his position.

In 2004, Yassin was assassinated by Israel in a mosque near his home. Since then, Haniyeh has been in charge of Hamas' administrative affairs in Gaza and has become the de facto leader of Hamas.

In 2006, after Hamas won the Palestinian Legislative Council election, Haniyeh became the Prime Minister of Palestine. In January 2007, after a conflict between Hamas and the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) led by President Abbas, Abbas announced the removal of Haniyeh from the post of Prime Minister. In June 2007, Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip from Fatah by force. On May 6, 2017, Haniyeh was elected Chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau.

>>Is there any precedent?

Hamas Political Bureau Deputy Chairman Aluri

In the attack in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon,Death

Haniyeh has been arrested by Israel many times and has lived in exile in Qatar and Turkey. He is a core figure in the organization responsible for major negotiations and diplomacy, and is also the Hamas representative in the ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Kazakhstan. In recent years, Haniyeh has spent most of his time in Qatar, where he leads Hamas' political activities.

In April this year, Haniyeh's three sons and four grandchildren were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip. Haniyeh, who was in Qatar at the time, said that Hamas would not surrender and such Israeli attacks would not shake his goals and demands. The blood of his children and grandchildren would bring hope, future and freedom. In May this year, Haniyeh was wanted by the International Criminal Court.

This is not the first time that a Hamas leader has been assassinated. In January this year, Saleh Aluri, deputy chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau, was killed in an attack in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. In 2017, he was elected deputy chairman of the Political Bureau and became the deputy of Hamas leader Haniyeh, and was later appointed as the second-in-command of Hamas. Although he is in Lebanon, he has always been regarded as a key figure in Hamas.

Since the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on October 7, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to kill Aluri. Aluri has been in and out of Israeli prisons many times and has always been a "thorn in Israel's side." He is regarded by Israel as the "brain" of Hamas and is accused of being the "planner" of many murders. After serving 15 years in an Israeli prison, he went into exile in Lebanon. He was in the Hamas office in a Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut, planning various operations in the West Bank behind the scenes until he was attacked and killed.

>>Why live in Qatar?

Most Hamas leaders are not in Gaza

Mostly live in Qatar, Lebanon and Türkiye

Hamas is mainly active in the Gaza Strip, and maintains a presence in the West Bank, Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, Doha in Qatar, Cairo in Egypt, etc. It is estimated that the total number of Hamas members worldwide is between 20,000 and 25,000.

Why does Haniyeh live in Qatar all year round? According to reports, most members of the Hamas Political Bureau are overseas and do not live in the Gaza Strip. Among them, many major leaders live in Doha, Qatar, and they often travel abroad from Doha. Some leaders live in Lebanon and its surrounding areas, and some senior members live in Turkey.

Khalid Meshaal is one of the founders of Hamas and served as the chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau from 1996 to 2017. He has been in exile for a long time and has controlled Hamas for many years. He moved to Syria in 2001 and now lives in Qatar. Under his leadership, Hamas successfully won a majority in parliament and came to power. He stepped down as the chairman of the Political Bureau in 2017. Haniyeh is Meshaal's successor and the number one figure in Hamas. He has served as the chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau since 2017 and was re-elected in 2021. Since 2019, he has been stationed abroad and currently lives in Qatar.

Haniyeh left the Gaza Strip in 2019 and went into exile in Qatar. The top leader of Hamas in Gaza is Yahya Sinwar. It is reported that Sinwar is likely to live in Qatar as well. In February 2017, he became the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip and obeyed the command of the Hamas Political Bureau. According to the Israeli side, Sinwar was one of the masterminds who ordered the sneak attack on Israel and is currently the "number one target for eradication" by the Israeli army. In November 2023, the Israeli army claimed to have surrounded Sinwar in an underground tunnel, which was the last bastion of Hamas, but Sinwar was not caught in the end. Israel dropped leaflets on Gaza, offering a reward of $400,000 to find someone who could provide information about Sinwar's location. There are reports that he has left the Gaza Strip and gone to Qatar.

Huashang Daily Dafeng News reporter Guo Ji editor Dong Lin