Gaza live: Israel strike kills 30 Palestinians, mostly children

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, led the funeral prayers at a memorial for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, as reported by state-run Press TV.

After the prayers, the procession is expected to proceed towards Azadi (Freedom) Square. Following this, Haniyeh's body will be transported to Doha for burial.

Haniyeh was assassinated at his residence in Tehran on Wednesday, with Hamas accusing Israel of carrying out the attack.

The assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh, the highest level Hamas official killed since Israel’s war on Gaza broke out in October, was a dangerous escalation designed to draw Iran into a war, and with it, the US, analysts say.

Iran, however, is not likely to take the bait and will most likely calculate a measured response that can avoid a wider war. But its allies in the so-called "axis of resistance" may not be as easy to predict. 

Israel previously pledged to kill all Hamas leaders involved in the 7 October Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel, but Haniyeh’s presence in Qatar as a chief negotiator for Hamas gives the strike greater repercussions. 

Dual Israeli strikes within the space of 24 hours took out Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in a suburb on the outskirts of Lebanon, and Hamas leader Haniyeh in Tehran. 

Read more: Haniyeh killing risks dragging US into open conflict with Iran

Malaysia's Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, has condemned Meta Platforms for deleting his Facebook post about the assassination of Hamas leader Ismael Haniyeh.

The removed post included a recording of Anwar's phone call with a Hamas official, during which he expressed his condolences over Haniyeh's death in Tehran on Wednesday.

“Let this serve as a clear and unequivocal message to Meta: Cease this display of cowardice,” Anwar declared on Facebook.

Malaysia, a predominantly Muslim nation, staunchly supports the Palestinian cause. Anwar, who met Haniyeh in Qatar in May, has previously stated that he maintains good relations with Hamas's political leadership.

This incident marks Malaysia's latest confrontation with Meta regarding the removal of Hamas-related content. Meta has designated the Palestinian group as a "dangerous organisation" and prohibits content that praises it.

Our live coverage from Gaza will shortly be closing until tomorrow morning.

Here are some of the day's key developments:

• Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas's political bureau, has been killed by an airstrike in Tehran, Iran

• US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated that Washington will help Israel if it faces reprisals following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran

• Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, has released a statement calling the killing a “dangerous event” with “major repercussions across the entire region"

• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has clarified that the United States was unaware of the planned assassination on Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh before it occurred

• The Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told soldiers that Israel is not interested in a war, but is preparing for all possibilities

• Eight Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli air strike on the town of Az-Zawayda in the central Gaza Strip

• Two Aljazeera journalists, Ismail al-Ghoul and cameraman Ramy El Rify, were killed in an Israeli strike on Gaza City

• Deputy chairman of the Houthi media authority Nasr al-Din Amer says Israel should expect a “wave of retaliation” following the assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh

• Israel will respond forcefully to any attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday during a televised speech

• The New York Times published a report on Wednesday saying that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has issued an order for Iran to strike Israel directly, in retaliation for the killing of Haniyeh

The killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran has thrust the US into the thorny position of scrambling to prevent a regional war from erupting after an assassination exposed the vulnerability of its most potent Middle Eastern foe: Iran.

Iran and Hamas blamed Israel for Wednesday's brazen assassination of Haniyeh, who was in Tehran for the swearing-in of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. The strike came hours after Israel said it killed senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut.

After nine months of Israel's war on Gaza, Biden administration officials are now seasoned at the diplomatic cleanups necessitated by Israeli missile and drone strikes in Middle Eastern capitals. 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken quickly distanced the US from the strike, saying: "This is something we were not aware of or involved in.”

Israel has ramped up its shadow war with Iran since 7 October when the war in Gaza broke out, with many analysts and diplomats saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears to be openly courting a wider war.

The US was able to brush off Israel’s killing in January of senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut. The next spike in regional tensions saw the US flex its air defence capabilities, shooting down drones and missiles Iran fired in a choreographed attack on Israel in response to its strike on its consulate in Damascus, Syria.

But the last 24 hours have thrust the US and its ally into uncharted territory.

READ MORE: 'A US win': Haniyeh killing plunges Biden diplomacy into chaos but shows Iran's vulnerability

The assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh, the highest level Hamas official killed since Israel’s war on Gaza broke out in October, was a dangerous escalation designed to draw Iran into a war, and with it, the US, analysts say.

Iran, however, is not likely to take the bait and will most likely calculate a measured response that can avoid a wider war. But its allies in the so-called "axis of resistance" may not be as easy to predict. 

Israel previously pledged to kill all Hamas leaders involved in the 7 October Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel, but Haniyeh’s presence in Qatar as a chief negotiator for Hamas gives the strike greater repercussions. 

READ MORE: Haniyeh killing risks dragging US into open conflict with Iran

The New York Times published a report on Wednesday saying that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has issued an order for Iran to strike Israel directly, in retaliation for the killing in Tehran of Hamas’s leader, Ismail Haniyeh.

The NYT report says that the information is sourced from three Iranian officials briefed on the order, including two members of the Revolutionary Guards.

US carrier United Airlines will suspend daily flights to Tel Aviv, citing US security reasons.

The airline is reportedly closely monitoring the situation and will resume service to Tel Aviv when the safety of customers and crews is ensured, Reuters reported

“Al Jazeera Media Network condemns in the strongest terms the targeted assassination of Al Jazeera Arabic Channel’s correspondent Ismail al-Ghoul and cameraman Rami al-Rifi after being targeted by Israeli occupation forces while covering in Shati Camp,” Aljazeera published on its website today.

The journalists were reportedly targeted while travelling in a vehicle, resulting in a "cold-blooded assassination".

The Qatar-based network labelled the killing a “systematic targeting campaign against the network’s journalists and their families since October 2023."

"The assassination of Ismail and Rami, while they were documenting the crimes of Israeli forces, underscores the urgent need for immediate legal action against the occupation forces to ensure that there is no impunity", Aljazeera added.

Israel will respond forcefully to any attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday during a televised speech.

“Citizens of Israel, challenging days lie ahead. Since the strike in Beirut there are threats sounding from all directions. We are prepared for any scenario and we will stand united and determined against any threat. Israel will exact a heavy price for any aggression against us from any arena,” Netanyahu said.

During the speech, Netanyahu said Israel delivered blows to Hamas and Hezbollah but did not take responsibility for the assassination of Hamas leader Haniyeh, which has drawn threats of retaliation.

The missile that killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh struck him "directly", Hamas deputy chief in Gaza Khalil al-Hayya told reporters at a press conference in Tehran today, citing witnesses who had been with Haniyeh in Iran.

As a result of the missile strike, windows, doors and walls in his room were destroyed, Hayya added.

The body of Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr has been found in the rubble in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital Beirut, two security sources told Reuters on Wednesday.

Shukr, who was blamed by Israeli forces for the attack on Majdal Shams last weekend which killed nine children, was killed in an Israeli air strike on Beirut on Tuesday.

Deputy chairman of the Houthi media authority Nasr al-Din Amer says Israel should expect a “wave of retaliation” following the assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, Aljazeera reported.

“[Israel] has crossed very big red lines in the midst of a fierce battle and amidst negotiations,” Din Amer said.

Over the last months, the Houthis have launched missiles and drone attacks at Israel and at vessels in the Red Sea, disrupting international trade, in response to Israel’s war on Gaza.