Last words of Ismail Haniyeh go viral

Slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh might have a clue that his time was up as he recalled a Quranic verse about life, death, immortality and resilience before embracing martyrdom.

Just a few hours before his shocking death in Iran guest house, Haniyeh said in Arabic: “It is Allah who gives life and causes death. And Allah is all-aware of all actions … ‘If a leader leaves, another will arise’.”

These were his last words to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Ali Khamenei and was quoted by Reuters.

The Hamas chief and one of his bodyguards were martyred when the guest house they were staying in was attacked, reports quoting a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said.

The Revolutionary Guards said that early this morning, the residence of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran was struck. As a result, the Hamas chief and one of his body guard martyred. The incident is being investigated and findings will be announced soon.

Ismail Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the inauguration ceremony of Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Haniyeh was the tough-talking face of the Palestinian group’s international diplomacy as war raged back in Gaza, where three of his sons were killed in an Israeli airstrike.

But despite the rhetoric, he was seen by many diplomats as a moderate compared to the more hardline members of the group inside Gaza.

Appointed to the Hamas top job in 2017, Haniyeh moved between Turkey and Qatar’s capital Doha, escaping the travel curbs of the blockaded Gaza Strip and enabling him to act as a negotiator in ceasefire talks or to talk to Hamas’ ally Iran.

At least 60 other members of his extended family were also killed in the Gaza war.