Qatar, which has said it holds Israel responsible for the Oct 7 massacre, had hosted Haniyeh in an office in Doha for several years, to the astonishment of Israeli officials. Qatar denied supporting Hamas and said the group was simply part of the reality on the ground.

The wealthy Gulf state had also hosted the Taliban, in what it said was an effort to foster mediation efforts between the Afghan group and the West.

Since the terror attacks of Oct 7, Haniyeh had been free to carry on as before, and had travelled to Iran to meet leaders of the “axis of resistance” there.

Haniyeh had also been a major power broker in the negotiations with Israel to release hostages and pause or end the war in Gaza. He was considered to be the more moderate voice of the Hamas team, compared with the more hardline military chief Yahya Sinwar in hiding in Gaza.

As the then-chairman of Hamas’s political bureau, Haniyeh might not have master-minded the military specifics of the Oct 7. assault, such as the training of fighters inside Gaza and the preparation for ground and naval incursions into Israel.

That job was probably handled by Hamas military chiefs based inside the Gaza Strip, such as Mohammed Deif, the supreme commander of its armed divisions.