Gadkari made the revelation while speaking at a book launch event, where he recounted his visit to Iran in July 2024 to attend the swearing-in ceremony of President Masoud Pezeshkian. The minister said he had travelled to Tehran at the request of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to represent India at the high-profile inauguration.
According to Gadkari, global leaders and dignitaries were accommodated at a five-star hotel in Tehran ahead of the ceremony. Among them was Ismail Haniyeh, despite the Hamas leader not holding any official state position. Gadkari said he encountered Haniyeh at the hotel and later saw him proceeding to the inauguration venue alongside Iran’s President and Chief Justice.
“All the heads of various nations were present, but one person who was not a head of state was Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. I met him. I saw him heading to the swearing-in ceremony along with the President and the Chief Justice,” Gadkari said while recounting the sequence of events.
The situation took a dramatic turn in the early hours following the ceremony. Gadkari said that after returning to his hotel, he was approached around 4 am by the Iranian ambassador to India, who informed him that he needed to leave immediately. When Gadkari sought an explanation, he was told that the Hamas chief had been assassinated.
“I was shocked. I asked how it happened, and the answer was, ‘I don’t know yet,’” Gadkari said.
Iran later confirmed that Ismail Haniyeh was killed at approximately 1.15 am on July 31, 2024, while staying at a highly fortified military facility in Tehran under the supervision of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Haniyeh’s bodyguard was also killed in the attack. Iranian authorities acknowledged the incident but said the exact method of the assassination remained unclear.
Gadkari noted that conflicting accounts emerged in the aftermath. “Some people say he was killed because of using his mobile phone. Some say it happened in some other way,” he told the audience, underscoring the uncertainty surrounding the operation.
The killing of Haniyeh, a senior political figure within Hamas, inside a supposedly impregnable security zone raised serious questions about Iran’s internal security apparatus and had immediate geopolitical ramifications. Gadkari’s account adds a striking personal dimension to the episode, highlighting how closely international diplomacy, high-level security, and regional conflict intersected in the hours leading up to one of the most consequential assassinations of 2024.
About The Author
Comment List