Good riddance to an evil...

Good riddance to an evil man.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/hamas-chief-ismail-haniyeh-killed-in-tehran-home/news-story/58b99567e12b2e968a3464c53a538dd1


Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh killed in Tehran home

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Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh has been killed in a strike on his residence in Tehran, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has confirmed.

The IRGC said in a statement the attack was carried out early Wednesday.

“With condolences to the heroic nation of Palestine and the Islamic nation and the combatants of the Resistance Front and the noble nation of Iran, this morning [Wednesday] the residence of Mr. Dr. Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political office of the Islamic Resistance of Hamas, was hit in Tehran, and following this incident, he and one of his bodyguards were martyred,” the IRGC statement read.

No one has claimed responsibility for the assassination and Israel has made no comment, but a statement by Hamas said an “Israeli” raid killed Haniyeh.

Earlier on Tuesday, Haniyeh had attended the inauguration of Iran’s new president and met Iran’s Supreme Leader, according to Iran media.

Israel has said it would target Hamas leaders for launching the October 7 attacks that sparked the war in Gaza but appeared to have concentrated on killing military leader Yahya Shinwar.

The targeted killing of Haniyeh would mark the highest-ranking death of a Hamas political official since the conflict began.

His death comes on the same day Israel’s military killed Hezbollah’s top military commander Fuad Shukr in an airstrike on Beirut.

Haniyeh, 62, who was born in a Gazan refugee camp and has served time in Israeli prisons, headed Hamas’s 15-member politburo, which is elected by a consultative shura council.

He had been a lead negotiator on ceasefire talks with Israel, and was killed even as Washington advised an end to the war in Gaza looked in sight.

He lives in luxury in Doha, the Qatari capital, because Egypt restricted his movements in and out of Gaza.

In April, an Israeli strike killed three of Haniyeh’s sons in Gaza and four of his grandchildren.

Israel confirmed the killings, saying the sons were “Hamas operatives” who were “on their way to carry out terrorist activities”.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Haniyeh suggested the strike was an attempt to shift Hamas’s negotiating stance over the Israeli hostages, but insisted it would not work.

On October 7, Haniyeh, who is married with 13 children, was filmed cheering alongside other Hamas officials in Doha in response to news of the massacre. He released a statement in which he hailed a “great victory” and praised Hamas’s “pious and courageous fighters”.

In an apparent warning to Saudi Arabia, which has sought to follow the United Arab Emirates and other Muslim countries in normalising relations with Israel, Haniyeh said: “We say to all countries, including our beloved Arab countries, you must know that this entity which is incapable of protecting itself from our fighters is incapable of providing you with security and protection.”

He was reportedly very wealthy, said to profit handsomely from the tunnel smuggling business, which can turn over $600m a year and circumvents the Egyptian and Israeli blockades of Gaza, so the status quo suits him fine. So far he has overseen five wars with Israel: 2008-09, 2012, 2014, 2021 and the one now under way. Every time, Haniyeh used Gaza’s citizens as human shields – and thousands have died.