The assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran strips Palestinian Islamist group Hamas of one of its sharpest political minds but will have no bearing on the leadership of the military wing that Israel is trying to destroy in Gaza, sources say.
Hamas has several possible candidates to replace Haniyeh, notably Khaled Meshaal, the group's former leader who survived an Israeli assassination attempt in Jordan in 1997 and resides today in Qatar.
Whoever emerges, experts say it won't impact the way Hamas runs its war against Israel in the Gaza Strip, where leaders including Yahya Sinwar have been directing operations with a significant degree of autonomy during the conflict.
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