Nitin Gadkari Recalls Meeting Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh Hours Before Tehran Assassination

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has recounted a series of events closely linked to one of the most high-profile assassinations in the Middle East in recent years—the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

Speaking at a book launch event, Gadkari revealed that he had met Haniyeh just hours before the latter was killed inside a heavily fortified military complex in the Iranian capital. Gadkari said he had travelled to Iran at the request of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to represent India at the swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s newly elected President, Masoud Pezeshkian.

Ahead of the ceremony, Gadkari said he was present at a five-star hotel in Tehran where heads of state and senior dignitaries from several countries had gathered informally over tea and coffee. “Among those present were leaders of various nations, but one individual who was not a head of state was Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. I saw him there. I also saw him proceed to the swearing-in ceremony alongside the President and the Chief Justice,” Gadkari said.

After the ceremony, Gadkari returned to his hotel. However, at around 4 a.m., the Iranian Ambassador to India informed him that they had to leave immediately. “When I asked what had happened, he told me that the Hamas chief had been killed. I was shocked and asked how it had occurred. He said he did not yet have the details,” the minister added.

Iranian authorities later confirmed that the assassination took place at around 1:15 a.m. on July 31. Haniyeh was staying at a highly secured military compound under the supervision of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). His personal bodyguard was also killed in the attack.

Gadkari noted that uncertainty still surrounds the exact method used in the killing. “Some say it happened because he used a mobile phone, while others suggest a different method,” he told the audience. He further remarked that strength determines a nation’s security, stating that “if a country is powerful, no one can interfere with it,” citing Israel as an example of a small nation that has established global influence through technological expertise and military capability.

At the time, the IRGC had stated that a short-range missile was used to target the building where Haniyeh was staying. The Hamas leader had arrived in Tehran to attend President Pezeshkian’s inauguration ceremony when the attack occurred.

Meanwhile, a report by The Telegraph has advanced the theory that Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, orchestrated the assassination by recruiting Iranian security operatives to plant explosives inside the building where Haniyeh was housed. According to the report, the original plan was to assassinate Haniyeh during the funeral of former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in May, when Haniyeh had travelled to Tehran. However, the plan was allegedly abandoned due to the size of the crowd, which raised the risk of exposure or failure.

The revised plan reportedly focused on an IRGC guesthouse in northern Tehran, believed to be a likely accommodation for the Hamas leader. Citing two Iranian officials, The Telegraph reported that two operatives acting under Mossad’s direction planted explosives in three separate rooms within the guesthouse. Surveillance footage allegedly shows the agents entering and exiting multiple rooms within minutes.

After planting the devices, the operatives reportedly exited Iran undetected, while at least one local source was maintained within the country. At around 2 a.m., explosives placed in Haniyeh’s room were detonated remotely.

Senior IRGC officials have reportedly acknowledged the scale of the security breach. A senior IRGC officer told The Telegraph that Mossad may have exploited agents from the Ansar al-Mahdi protection unit, which is tasked with safeguarding senior Iranian allies both inside and outside the country.