Iran vows to avenge killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh (2024)

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Summary Live Reporting We're pausing our live coveragepublished at 23:48 31 July23:48 31 July Haniyeh's death makes Israel-Hamas negotiations 'more challenging' - US lawmakerpublished at 23:39 31 July23:39 31 July LISTEN: The Assassination of Hamas's Political Leaderpublished at 23:29 31 July23:29 31 July UN Security Council meeting endspublished at 23:17 31 July23:17 31 July Lebanon says strike in Beirut violates humanitarian lawpublished at 23:11 31 July23:11 31 July Israel addresses Security Councilpublished at 23:00 31 July23:00 31 July Palestinian representative calls on council to actpublished at 22:45 31 July22:45 31 July Iran addresses Security Councilpublished at 22:29 31 July22:29 31 July Russia warns the Middle East could be on the brink of warpublished at 22:16 31 July22:16 31 July Nations call for restraint in Middle Eastpublished at 22:05 31 July22:05 31 July UK 'deeply concerned' about escalationpublished at 21:51 31 July21:51 31 July US says diplomatic solution is still possiblepublished at 21:47 31 July21:47 31 July China UN representative warns of 'bigger crisis'published at 21:23 31 July21:23 31 July UN Security Council emergency meeting beginspublished at 21:14 31 July21:14 31 July Airlines cancel flightspublished at 20:44 31 July20:44 31 July UN Security Council emergency meeting scheduledpublished at 20:26 31 July20:26 31 July US warns its citizens against travelling to Lebanonpublished at 20:09 31 July20:09 31 July US offers condolences for killed journalistspublished at 19:53 31 July19:53 31 July US says work on a cease-fire deal ongoingpublished at 19:27 31 July19:27 31 July US State Department stays tight-lipped on Haniyeh deathpublished at 19:12 31 July19:12 31 July FAQs
  • Live Reporting (active)

Summary

Live Reporting

Edited by Brandon Livesay

  1. We're pausing our live coveragepublished at 23:48 31 July

    23:48 31 July

    With the end of the UN SecurityCouncil emergency meeting, we will now pause our live coverage.

    It's been a day where fears ofan all-out war in the Middle East reached new highs, as the region watches for areaction to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination in Tehran.

    You can read a full wrap of thesituation here, and click here foranalysis on what Israel's killing of Haniyeh might mean for ceasefire prospects inGaza.

    Here's some of the key pointsfrom today:

  2. Haniyeh's death makes Israel-Hamas negotiations 'more challenging' - US lawmakerpublished at 23:39 31 July

    23:39 31 July

    Cai Pigliucci
    Reporting from Washington DC

    Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ben Cardin has said the death of Hamas' political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran makes negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian group more difficult.

    His comments - made to reporters during a meeting on Capitol Hill on Wednesday - came after the State Department and the White House earlier declined to comment on how the killing could affect the region.

    Cardin acknowledged that Haniyeh was involved in Gaza ceasefire negotiations, saying his death "makes it much more challenging right now in regards to the hostage negotiations".

    "It makes a hot situation even hotter," he added.

    Cardin also reiterated that the United States had no advance knowledge of the killing of Haniyeh, which diplomats and the White House have also said.

    He said the US didn't have any specific information yet, so he couldn't speak to the details while developments were still unfolding.

    When asked by the BBC about Iran’s accusations that the US bears some responsibility for the attack - which Iran and Hamas have blamed on Israel - Cardin said he would not put a lot of confidence in what Iran says "being (anything) other than their own propaganda".

    Cardin also added that the US "would be very reluctant to get engaged in any type of complicity in any type of military operation into a sovereign country".

  3. LISTEN: The Assassination of Hamas's Political Leaderpublished at 23:29 31 July

    23:29 31 July

    The latest episode of Newscast is up. In it, Adam Fleming is joined by Lyse Doucet and Jeremy Bowen to discuss who Ismail Haniyeh was, and what his death means for the Middle East.

    You can listen to the podcast here, or wherever you find your podcasts.

  4. Lebanon says strike in Beirut violates humanitarian lawpublished at 23:11 31 July

    23:11 31 July

    We've just heard from a representative from Lebanon. They told the UN Security Council that Lebanon condemned the "aggression" that targeted a suburb in Beirut, and called it a "clear violation" of humanitarian law.

    Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr was killed in the Israeli strike on southern Beirut yesterday, which you can read about here.

    The representative for Lebanon said he believed this was the most dangerous chapter of the conflict so far.

  5. Israel addresses Security Councilpublished at 23:00 31 July

    23:00 31 July

    Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan has been speaking about the dangers of Fuad Shukr, a top Hezbollah commander who was killed earlier this week in an Israeli strike in Beirut.

    The ambassador described Shukr as a senior terrorist with the blood of Israelis and many others on his hands, which he says included American soldiers.

    Shukr allegedly played a "central role" in the 1983 bombing of a US Marines barracks in Beirut, which killed 241 US military personnel.

    Erden continued by calling the world to support Israel, and critiqued the amount of weapons and support Iran has provided to Hezbollah.

    He told the Security Council that leaders in Iran are working to bring the end of Israel and the Jewish people.

  6. Palestinian representative calls on council to actpublished at 22:45 31 July

    22:45 31 July

    Palestinian representative Feda Abdelhady has been speaking at the Security Council, where she called for a halt to what she described as "horrific" Israeli actions.

    She told the council that violence and terror are Israel's only currency, citing the "brazen" attack on Beirut.

    "There is no red line for Israel," she said, claiming there was nothing Israel did not view as targets.

    She called on the Security Council to act.

    "Do not let Israel drag us to the brink of abyss," she said.

    We're about to hear from Israel's ambassador next.

  7. Iran addresses Security Councilpublished at 22:29 31 July

    22:29 31 July

    Iran vows to avenge killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh (1)Image source, Reuters

    Iranian ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani has just spoken. He called the killing of Hamas' political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who died in an overnight air strike in Tehran, a "heinous crime".

    He described it as an "act of terror" by Israel and he also blamed the US, claiming the attack would have needed US "authorisation".

    Just moments ago, US ambassador Robert Wood said the US was not aware of or involved in the death of Haniyeh.

    The Iranian ambassador went on to say the UN Security Council had "failed".

  8. Russia warns the Middle East could be on the brink of warpublished at 22:16 31 July

    22:16 31 July

    Dmitry Polyanskiy, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations, has just finished speaking

    He expressed his concern about the situation turning into an "all out war".

    Polyanskiy called for a full cease-fire and reiterated his support for the two-state solution.

    He said the killing of Haniyeh was dangerous for the entire region.

  9. Nations call for restraint in Middle Eastpublished at 22:05 31 July

    22:05 31 July

    Iran vows to avenge killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh (2)Image source, Getty Images

    We've been hearing from representatives at the UN Security Council as they speak about the killing of Hamas's political leader, Ismail Haniyeh.

    The representative from France said they were alarmed by the rise in tensions. They said Iran muststop supporting destabilising actors, and called for restraint in the region.

    The representativefrom Algeria said "Weare on the precipice of catastrophe", and labelled the killing of Haniyeh was an "act of terror" by Israel.

    Guyana called on all parties to show "maximum restraint" and said recent attacks could harm Gaza ceasefire negotiations.

    The Republic of Korea also warned that escalations "negatively impacted" a ceasefire in Gaza.

    Mozambique condemned the air strike in Iran. The representative called on all parties to use restraint.

    The representative from Japan said: "We fear that the region is at the brink of all-out war".

    Switzerland's representative said: "We reject this spiral of violence" and urged all actors involved, and those who have sway over them, to show restraint.

  10. UK 'deeply concerned' about escalationpublished at 21:51 31 July

    21:51 31 July

    UK Representative Barbara Woodward has been speaking about the ongoing escalation, which she described as deeply concerning.

    "Escalation and a cycle of endless violence is in no one's interest," she said.

    She urged immediate restraint and claimed that Iran was destabilising the region using Hezbollah as a proxy.

    "Long term peace will not be secured by bombs and bullets," she said.

  11. US says diplomatic solution is still possiblepublished at 21:47 31 July

    21:47 31 July

    US Ambassador Robert Wood has been speaking at the UN Security Council. He urged the council to consider additional measures to hold Iran accountable for actions from Hezbollah and Hamas, and called on leaders to stop arming and advising Iran.

    Wood said there was no doubt, "aboslutely none", that Hezbollah was responsible for the rocket strike in Golan Heights, and the US ambassador said an Iranian rocket was used in the deadly strike. Twelve young people died when the strike hit a football pitch.

    He reiterated US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's earlier comments that the US was not aware of or involved in the death of Ismail Haniyeh.

    And Wood cautioned that it was best not to speculate on the effect of these back-to-back killings in the region, noting "a broader war is neither imminent nor inevitable".

    "We believe there is still time and space for a diplomatic solution."

  12. China UN representative warns of 'bigger crisis'published at 21:23 31 July

    21:23 31 July

    China's UN Security Council representative begins by speaking about the killing of Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh.

    Ambassador Fu Cong says China firmly opposes and strongly condemns the killing.

    China is deeply concerned about the exacerbation of upheaval in the region and what it may trigger, he says.

    The representative said military means offer "no solutions" and "will only lead to a bigger crisis".

  13. UN Security Council emergency meeting beginspublished at 21:14 31 July

    21:14 31 July

    An emergency United National Security Council meeting has just started.

    Representatives will discuss the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, a Hamas political leader.

    We'll bring you the latest from the meeting, stay with us.

  14. Airlines cancel flightspublished at 20:44 31 July

    20:44 31 July

    The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has left the region with a growing list of cancelled flights.

    United, Delta and British Airways are expected to suspended flights to Tel Aviv beginning Wednesday evening.

    That follows a slew of airlines cancelling flights to Beirut in the past few days.

    Greece's Aegean Airlines and Germany's Condor cancelled flights to Beirut on Tuesday.

    And Air France and Lufthansa announced flight cancellations to Beirut on Monday.

  15. UN Security Council emergency meeting scheduledpublished at 20:26 31 July

    20:26 31 July

    Iran has requested an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting to talk about the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, one of Hamas' political leaders.

    The meeting is scheduled for 16:00 EDT (21:00 BST).

    The Iranian request was supported by representatives from Russia, China and Algeria.

  16. US warns its citizens against travelling to Lebanonpublished at 20:09 31 July

    20:09 31 July

    Because of recent escalations in the region, the US has issued a new advisory, external to its citizens on Wednesday, urging them to avoid travelling to Lebanon.

    "Do Not Travel to Lebanon due to rising tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," the travel advisory says.

    "If you are in Lebanon, be prepared to shelter in place should the situation deteriorate."

    The advisory urged US citizens who are still in the country - especially in southern Lebanon near the border with Syria or in refugee settlements - to leave.

  17. US offers condolences for killed journalistspublished at 19:53 31 July

    19:53 31 July

    Following questions on reports of two journalists killed in Gaza, US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel offered condolences for Palestinian journalists killed during the Israel-Hamas war.

    Al Jazeera said two of its journalists - reporter Ismail al-Ghoul and camera operator Ramy El Rify - were killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza City on Wednesday.

    During a press briefing, Patel told journalists that the State Department has asked counterparts in the region for additional information regarding their deaths.

    "We offer our deep condolences to the many Palestinian journalists killed or injured during this war," he says.

    "We believe journalists have been integral to shedding a light on the dire circumstances in the Gaza Strip right now."

  18. US says work on a cease-fire deal ongoingpublished at 19:27 31 July

    19:27 31 July

    Iran vows to avenge killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh (3)Image source, Getty Images

    We've just had two briefings from the US. One from the State Department - which you can read about here. And one from the White House, where spokesperson John Kirby has been talking.

    Kirby says that cease-fire negotiations have always been "complicated", and it is too soon to tell how recent events in the Middle East will impact the ability to reach a deal.

    "That doesn't mean we're going to stop working on it," Kirby says. "In fact, we have a team in the region working on it as we speak."

    He adds the US is still focused on preventing escalation in the region.

    Kirby made the comments to reporters at a routine White House briefing.

  19. US State Department stays tight-lipped on Haniyeh deathpublished at 19:12 31 July

    19:12 31 July

    US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel just spoke to reporters in Washington DC, including about the developments of the last 24 hours in the Middle East.

    He did not offer new information, but reiterated earlier remarks from Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the US was not involved in the operation that killed Ismail Haniyeh.

    Patel repeated multiple times that he wouldn't speculate on diplomatic matters.

    US commitment to Israel is "iron-clad", Patel added.

Iran vows to avenge killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh (2024)

FAQs

When did Ismail Haniyeh become leader of Hamas? ›

Ismail Haniyeh (Arabic: إسماعيل هنية, romanized: Ismāʿīl Haniyyah; c. 1962 or 1963 – 31 July 2024) was a Palestinian politician who served as chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau from May 2017 until his assassination in July 2024.

Who was the leader of Hamas? ›

Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind behind the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, has been announced as the new leader of the militant group Hamas. He rose to the top position after the killing of the previous leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in an explosion in Iran that has been blamed on Israel.

What does the writing on the Hamas flag say? ›

The flag of the Palestinian Sunni Islamist militant organization Hamas consists of a green background (a traditionally respected color in Islam) and in the middle it features the writing of the Shahada, an Islamic statement of faith, in white calligraphic script: "There is no god but God" and "Muhammad is the messenger ...

What does Hamas stand for? ›

Hamas, an acronym of its official name, Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya (Arabic: حركة المقاومة الإسلامية, romanized: Ḥarakat al-Muqāwamah al-ʾIslāmiyyah, lit. 'Islamic Resistance Movement'), is a Palestinian Sunni Islamist political and military organisation governing the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip since 2007.

Who is the leader of Hamas in 2017? ›

They chose Yahya Sinwar, already the group's leader inside Gaza since 2017. The choice may come as a surprise to many, but anyone following his career since Israel released him in the 2011 exchange deal for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit knew he was always likely to lead Hamas one day.

What year did Hamas come to power? ›

HAMAS has been the de facto governing body in the Gaza Strip since 2007, when it ousted the Palestinian Authority from power.

Who is Hamas spiritual leader? ›

Yassin, a quadriplegic who was nearly blind, had been reliant on a wheelchair due to a sporting accident at the age of 12. After its founding, he served as the spiritual leader of Hamas, a Sunni Islamist group. The Israeli government held him responsible for the killing of several Israeli civilians.

When was Gaza given to Hamas? ›

2007: Hamas takeover

Shortly after, Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in the course of the Battle of Gaza (June 2007), seizing government institutions and replacing Fatah and other government officials with its own.

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