Russian MFA: Death of Hamas political bureau head deemed political murder

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov has condemned the reported death of Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Political Bureau of the Palestinian Hamas movement, as an "absolutely unacceptable political murder."

“The elimination of a key Hamas leader could severely impact negotiations regarding the Gaza Strip and potentially escalate tensions in the region,” Bogdanov told the Russian media, Caliber.Az reports citing the Russian media.

On the morning of July 31, Ismail Haniyeh’s residence in Tehran was attacked, resulting in the death of one of his bodyguards. Hamas has accused Israel of carrying out the attack, labeling it as a treacherous act.

Hamas said that an Israeli attack killed its leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran where Haniyeh had traveled to attend the swearing-in of Iran’s new president.

A Hamas statement posted on the militant group’s Telegram channel said Haniyeh was killed at a residence in the Iranian capital.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said one of Haniyeh’s bodyguards was also killed in the early morning attack, and that the incident was under investigation.

Haniyeh’s death comes nearly 10 months after Iran-backed Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.

Haniyeh became the head of Hamas’ political bureau in 2017, and had been living in exile in Qatar after leaving Gaza in 2019.