Tareq Baconi: The assassination of Ismail Haniyeh

Aug 9, 2024

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Last Wednesday on July 31st, Hamas’s top political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran. Haniyeh came to the capital city of Tehran for the presidential inauguration when an explosive device went off in the guest house where he was staying. Just hours before, Haniyeh had met with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Israel hasn’t taken responsibility for the attack, but they're widely believed to be responsible– especially given Israel’s history of targeted political assassinations. Haniyeh’s killing happened one day after Israel killed Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Lebanon.

Haniyeh was killed in the middle of ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel. With the death toll in Gaza nearing 40,000, and the family members of the Israeli hostages desperately calling for a prisoner exchange, the pressure to come to an agreement has been mounting. But Ismail Haniyeh was a chief negotiator in those talks– and now, the chances of arriving at a deal seem further than ever.

Iran has vowed to retaliate against Israel for the attack on their soil. As of Thursday August 8th, that hasn’t happened yet, but many now fear that tensions could lead to a wider regional war.

In this collaboration between Unsettled Podcast and Jewish Currents, Unsettled producer Ilana Levinson interviews Tareq Baconi, author of Hamas Contained: The Rise and Pacification of Palestinian Resistance to make sense of these developments and what Haniyeh’s assassination means for the future.

This episode was a collaboration between On the Nose and Unsettled Podcast. It was produced by Ilana Levinson, with Emily Bell, Arielle Angel, and Alex Kane. Music in this episode from Blue Dot Sessions.