'Jerusalem is our cause': Istanbul rally protests Haniyeh's assassination

Thousands of pro-Palestine protesters have marched through the streets of central Istanbul to protest Israel's killing of Hamas' political bureau chief and lead peace-negotiator Ismail Haniyeh in Iran.

The demonstrators held posters on Wednesday with Haniyeh's photos and banners reading, "Martyr Haniyeh, Jerusalem is our cause, and your path is our path".

Protesters were chanting, "Murderer Israel, get out of Palestine", "thousands of greetings from Istanbul to the resistance in Gaza", and waving Turkish and Palestinian flags during the march in the Fatih district of Istanbul.

Haniyeh was assassinated in the Iranian capital, Tehran, in an Israeli attack that drew threats of revenge on Israel and fuelled further concern that Tel Aviv's genocidal war in besieged Gaza was turning into a wider Middle East war.

Although the strike on Haniyeh was widely assumed to have been carried out by Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government made no claim of responsibility but Netanyahu hinted later at ordering the assassinations.

Haniyeh, normally based in Qatar, had been the face of Hamas' international diplomacy.

He had been taking part in internationally brokered indirect talks on reaching a ceasefire in the blockaded enclave.

Earlier on Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the assassination in Tehran and said the killing would not break Palestinians' will.

60+ family members assassinated by Israel

Haniyeh joined Hamas in 1987 during the first Intifada [civil and armed uprising]. He became a trusted aide of Ahmad Yassin — founder of Hamas — in 2003.

He became the Palestinian prime minister in 2006, one after Israel's withdrawal from Gaza. Haniyeh left Gaza in 2017 and was succeeded by Yahya Sinwar, whom Haniyeh welcomed back to Gaza in 2011 in a prisoner exchange.

Israel has killed more than 60 family members of Haniyeh since October last year.

Three of Haniyeh's sons — Hazem, Amir and Mohammad — were killed by Israel on April 10 when an Israeli air strike struck the car they were driving.

Haniyeh also lost four of his grandchildren, three girls and a boy, in the Israeli attack.