Who was Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas political leader killed in Tehran?
CNNCNN — Ismail Haniyeh, political leader of Hamas since 2017, has been the most visible leader of the group during Israel’s war in Gaza, and was key in ongoing ceasefire and hostage release negotiations. As Hamas’s political leader, he was a key interlocutor with international mediators during stalled hostage and ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, following the group’s October 7 attack on Israel. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meets Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh at the president's office in Tehran, Iran, on July 30, 2024. Iranian Presidency Office/AP Haniyeh was appointed part of a secret “collective leadership” in 2004 after the deaths of Hamas’ founders Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz Rantisi, who were killed in Israeli strikes just weeks apart.