The killing of a top Hamas leader brings new uncertainties about cease-fire talks

By Hadeel Al-Shalchi,

Published July 31, 2024 at 12:32 AM EDT

Palestinian Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, center, flashes a victory sign as he is surrounded by a group of Iranian lawmakers after the conclusion of the swearing-in ceremony of newly-elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at the parliament in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, 30, 2024.

Updated August 01, 2024 at 03:20 AM ET

TEL AVIV, Israel — The Palestinian militant group Hamas accused Israel of killing its top political leader Ismail Haniyeh in an airstrike in Iran on Wednesday and called his death “a dangerous event” that would have repercussions across the Middle East. Haniyeh was in Tehran for the inauguration ceremony of new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Israeli officials said they had "no comment" when asked about the Tehran attack and have not taken responsibility for it, but previously had vowed to kill Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders after the militant group led a surprise Oct. 7 attack that killed more than 1,200 people in Israel and led to the current war in Gaza.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. was not aware of or involved in the killing.

"This is something we were not aware of or involved in. It's very hard to speculate," Blinken said in an interview with Channel News Asia during a visit to Singapore.

The White House has no independent confirmation and cannot confirm reports that Israel had killed Haniyeh in Tehran, as Hamas claimed, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters in Washington.

Haniyeh's killing threatens to escalate tensions across the Middle East. It also came just hours after Israel said it had killed a top commander of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in an airstrike in the Lebanese capital of Beirut.

In a speech on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israelis, “Challenging days are ahead.” He added that Israel was prepared for any threat and scenario.

Iran's president called Haniyeh's killing a "cowardly action" and said that Iran would defend its territorial integrity. In a statement on X, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said there would be a “harsh punishment” for the assassination.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry condemned Haniyeh’s death and said it represented a “dangerous escalation” in the conflict. Qatar had long hosted Haniyeh in a U.S.-backed arrangement, and the Gulf Arab country is a key mediator in efforts for a ceasefire in Gaza between Hamas and Israel.

Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani, said after Haniyeh’s killing that political assassinations and the continued targeting of Palestinian civilians in Gaza undermine mediation efforts when “one party assassinates the negotiator on the other side.”

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who leads the Palestinian Authority, long a rival to Hamas, condemned Haniyeh’s killing as cowardly and dangerous, echoing reactions from Iran-backed groups in the region. Turkey and Jordan also condemned the killing, as did Russia and China.

Hamas said that Haniyeh would receive two funerals — one on Thursday in Tehran, followed by a second funeral and burial in Doha, Qatar, on Friday.

New hurdles to cease-fire prospects

Haniyeh's death is also likely to hamper ongoing cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas. He was the principal point of contact for Hamas in talks brokered by Egypt and Qatar.

In a press conference from Gaza, Hamas Deputy Chairman in the Gaza Strip Khalil al-Hayya implied that talks would be stalled after the killing, saying, “There is no talk of negotiations in the shadow of blood.” But he stressed that Hamas’ goals for the negotiations had not changed, saying that Hamas “has set a clear path regarding the negotiations and the absence of one leader or another does not divert the movement's compass from its goals."

Netanyahu said Wednesday that for months people have been urging him to end the war. “I did not succumb to those voices then, and I will not succumb to them today either," he said.

But especially for Palestinians in Gaza and for family members of hostages in Gaza, a cease-fire deal is the main concern. More than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed in nearly 11 months of war – and on Wednesday alone, at least 45 more were killed, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health.

One hundred fifteen hostages remain in Gaza, more than 40 of whom are believed to be dead. In a statement on Wednesday, a group representing many of the hostages’ families said, “Time is of the essence, and we implore the Israeli government and global leaders to decisively advance negotiations. This is the time for a deal.”

Rachel Goldberg-Polin, whose 23-year-old son Hersh in being held captive in Gaza, says the news of Haniyeh’s killing had her worried.

“We were obviously thinking, perhaps this is not good for these negotiations that we were so hoping would get our region to a better place,” Goldberg-Polin told NPR from Jerusalem. “Because, it's not just the 115 hostage families, but also there are hundreds of thousands of innocent people in Gaza who are suffering horribly. So our entire region has this surplus of devastation and misery, and anything that's going to prolong that is, is, you know, a gut punch.”

Several airlines suspend flights to Tel Aviv

United Airlines and Delta Airlines announced suspensions of flights to Israel starting Wednesday evening amidst rising tensions in the region. In a statement to NPR, a United Airlines spokesperson confirmed the airline had suspended its daily flight from Newark Liberty International Airport to Tel Aviv, citing “security reasons” as the airline monitored the situation.

Delta Airlines, meanwhile, said it was pausing its service between New York’s JFK airport and Tel Aviv through at least Friday. The airline said it would issue travel waivers to all customers who booked their flights to or from Tel Aviv before August 14.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of State also issued a new travel advisory urging people to reconsider travel to Israel, especially in the country’s north within 2.5 miles of the Lebanese and Syrian borders.

Palestinian reaction to Haniyeh's death

Palestinians in Gaza said they woke up to the announcement and were devastated.

“This was the most difficult news I have ever received in my 70 years alive,” said Um Yusuf, who was sitting at the entrance of her shelter in the southern Gaza city of Zuweida when she heard the news of Haniyeh’s death on a radio channel on her mobile phone.

“[Haniyeh] was a dove of peace ... he was a mature man, loved everyone…and worked for the benefit of all of the Palestinian people.”

Ismail al-Ta’rwai, another Gaza resident sheltering in Zuweida, said that Haniyeh’s death had “crossed all its limits.”

“[Haniyeh] extended his arm for all peaceful negotiations, and aimed to solve the differences between the two countries. But [Israel] has managed to kill all possible paths to peace.”

In the West Bank’s largest city, Ramallah, resident Bahaa’ Zeit said he was saddened by the news, but shocked that Iran wasn’t able to do more to protect Haniyeh.

"How could Israel break through Iran’s skies and security and let a guest of their country get assassinated?" Zeit said.

Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri told Al-Aqsa TV that Israel will not succeed in breaking the will of the Palestinian people and that Hamas is an ideology that will not fade.

“This occupation must realize that it opened fire on itself and not on Ismail Haniyeh,” Abu Zuhri said. “Hamas grows with every drop of blood shed for the freedom of this pure land. The blood of leaders is not purer than the blood of the children of our people.”

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin urged for calm, saying he was hopeful that even with the events of the past 24 hours, Israel would find a diplomatic solution.

"I don't think war is inevitable," Austin said. "I maintain that. I think there's always room and opportunity for diplomacy, and I'd like to see parties pursue those opportunities."

Israel confirms senior Hezbollah commander killed in separate airstrike

Haniyeh's death came just hours after Israel announced it had killed a top commander of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Fuad Shukr "Sayyid Muhsan," in an airstrike in the Lebanese capital of Beirut in retaliation for the Saturday killing of 12 children in a rocket attack on Majdal Shams in the Israel-controlled Golan Heights.

Hezbollah, like Hamas, is backed by Iran.

Israel blamed Hezbollah for the attack. Hezbollah, a Lebanese militia and political movement, has denied it was involved.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Hezbollah said Shukr was in the building during the time of the attack but did not confirm his death. Israel did not say how it determined the Hezbollah commander was killed or provide evidence of his death.

Who was Ismail Haniyeh?

Haniyeh, 62, grew up in Gaza and was imprisoned in Israel during the first Palestinian uprising of the 1980s.

Following his release, he rose through the ranks of Hamas and survived an Israeli assassination attempt during the second Palestinian uprising in 2003.

He was Hamas’ top figure in Gaza when the militant group took control of the territory in 2007 and rose to become the head leader of the group in 2017. In 2018, the U.S. State Department formally designated Haniyeh as a terrorist. In recent years, he was based in Qatar’s capital Doha.

During his tenure, Hamas and Israel fought five wars, including the current conflict. Israeli military strikes in Gaza killed several of his sons and his sister this year.

It is unclear how much Haniyeh, based in Qatar, was aware of Hamas’ plans to attack Israel from Gaza on Oct. 7. But Haniyeh had been involved in the high-level negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange with Israel.

In May, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said he was seeking arrest warrants for Haniyeh and two other senior Hamas officials, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, including rape, murder and hostage-taking during the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks on Israel. The prosecutor also seeks arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s defense minister.

Of Hamas’ top four leaders, only one may still be alive today: Hamas’ Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar.

In January, Hamas deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri was killed in a presumed Israeli strike in Lebanon.

This month, Israel said it killed Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas’ military wing in Gaza, in an airstrike that killed scores of other Palestinians, though his fate is still unknown. Hamas has not commented on whether he is alive or dead.