Hamas announced on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, that its political bureau chief, Ismail Haniyeh, was assassinated along with one of his bodyguards in an Israeli airstrike in the Iranian capital. The attack occurred in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Haniyeh's last public appearance was at the inauguration ceremony of Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, on Tuesday evening. He had arrived in Tehran on Tuesday to attend the ceremony at the Iranian Parliament. During his visit, Haniyeh met with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Raisi, as well as with members of the Iranian parliament.

Hamas condemned the strike, calling it a "dangerous escalation" that will not achieve its goals. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also condemned the assassination, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA. Iran's Revolutionary Guard confirmed the assassination and announced an investigation into the incident.

Israel has not yet commented on the assassination. However, American media outlets reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office instructed ministers to refrain from discussing the assassination.