The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’ political bureau, in an Israeli airstrike targeting his residence in Tehran, as announced in a statement on Wednesday.
The ministry labelled the killing as an act that “aims to extend the war in Gaza to the region,” indicating a move against peace efforts in the area.
The statement further criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, suggesting it shows “no intention of achieving peace.”
Haniyeh had been in Tehran since Tuesday to attend the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, at the parliament, where he met with President Pezeshkian and Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Haniyeh, elected as the leader of Hamas’ political office in 2017 succeeding Khaled Meshaal, was already a prominent figure after becoming the Prime Minister of Palestine in 2006 following the movement’s unexpected victory in that year’s parliamentary elections.
He maintained diplomatic ties and engaged in diplomatic missions to both Iran and Turkey during the war, meeting the respective presidents and maintaining good relations with different Palestinian faction leaders.
Haniyeh joined Hamas in 1987, amidst the first Intifada—a Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation that lasted until 1993.
Sources from “Al Arabiya” and “Al Hadath” reported that Netanyahu’s office had instructed ministers not to make any statements regarding the assassination of Haniyeh in the Iranian capital, Tehran.
The Israeli military announced it is assessing the situation with no changes to the Home Front Command’s directives, amid reports of a complete closure of Israeli northern airspace.
Initial comments following the announcement of Haniyeh’s death came from the Israeli Heritage Minister through posts on “X,” where he stated that “Haniyeh’s death makes the world slightly better.” Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also commented on Haniyeh’s assassination, saying, “We will destroy all our enemies.”
