The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas announced today that its political leader, Ismail Haniyamurdered in Iranas reported by the Reuters agency.

A post by Hamas on Telegram states that Haniya was killed during a “sneaky Zionist raid on the property where he resided, in Tehran”.

According to first reports of the Iranian news agency IRNA, the assassination of Haniya occurred at approximately 2 a.m. local time at a special residence for war veterans where he was staying during his stay in Tehran.

The killing of Haniya in Iran is a “cowardly act that will not go unpunished,” Al-Aqsa TV, run by the Palestinian organization, reported, citing a senior Hamas official. Musa Abu Marzouk.

The killing of Haniya is a serious escalation that will not achieve its goals, Hamas official Sami Abu Zohri told Reuters.

Haniya had gone to Tehran for the swearing in of the country’s new president, Massoud Pezeskian.

“The brother, the leader, the mujahid Ismail Haniya, the leader of the movement, was killed in a sneaky Zionist raid against his office in Tehran after he attended the inauguration of the new president” of the Islamic Republic, Hamas said.

The killing of Haniya was condemned by the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas.

Palestinian organizations called for a general strike and mass demonstrations after Haniya’s murder.

Iranian authorities are conducting an investigation into the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniya, and the findings will be announced very soon, the state-run Tasnim news agency reports.

The killing of Haniya is a serious escalation that will not achieve its goals, Hamas official Sami Abu Zohri told Reuters.

His representative White House announced that it is aware of reports of the death of the Hamas political leader, but declined to comment further.

The Israeli military told CNN it “does not respond to foreign media reports.”

Who was Ismail Haniya?

Haniya was for many years the political leader of the Hamas organization.

The 62-year-old was born in a refugee camp near Gaza City and joined Hamas in the late 1980s during the First Intifada.

As Hamas rose to power, Haniya gradually rose through the ranks. He was appointed a member of a secret “collective leadership” in 2004 and then appointed prime minister of the Palestinian Authority in 2006.

By 2017 he had become the leader of the group, and soon after was designated a “global terrorist” by the United States.

He participated in peace talks with former US President Jimmy Carter and met with other world leaders, including Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and Chinese diplomat Wang Kejian earlier this year.

In April, Israeli airstrikes killed three of Haniya’s sons and four of his grandchildren, according to Hamas.

At the time, Haniya – who was based in Qatar – insisted their deaths would not affect the ceasefire and hostage talks.