Notable international figures who passed away in 2024.

In 2024, many prominent international figures passed away, including Putin critic Alexei Navalny and Israel's main adversaries in the Middle East.

This year, five of the most prominent individuals have passed away.

Alexei Navalny – Feb. 16

On February 16, Alexei Navalny, a harsh critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, passed away in a penal colony in Siberia. According to Russian officials, Navalny became ill after a walk and subsequently lost consciousness, resulting in his death.

In Kharp, one of Russia's harshest prisons, Navalny was incarcerated at the IK-3 penal colony, commonly known as "Polar Wolf." At 47 years old, he was serving a sentence on charges he claims were politically motivated.

In 2020, Navalny was poisoned with a suspected Novichok nerve agent, which was an alleged assassination attempt.

In August, Navalny's widow rejected investigators' report stating that he died due to an irregular heartbeat and multiple illnesses, claiming it was a "pathetic attempt to conceal the truth - a murder."

Ebrahim Raisi – May 19

On May 19, Ebrahim Raisi, the Iranian President, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and other officials perished in a helicopter crash in a mountainous region of the country.

The "Butcher of Tehran," Raisi, was previously sanctioned by the first Trump administration for his role in the 1988 massacre of 5,000 Iranian political prisoners and the 2019 slaughter of 1,500 Iranian demonstrators.

The investigation into the helicopter crash found that the crash was due to difficult weather conditions.

Ismail Haniyeh – July 31

On July 31, in Tehran, Iran's new president's inauguration was attended by Ismail Haniyeh, a 62-year-old who led the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas' political bureau, and he was killed by an airstrike.

Israel was swiftly accused of responsibility for the attack, despite nobody immediately admitting it, after the group pledged to eliminate Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders following the Oct. 7 attack on the Jewish state.

In 1989, Haniyeh was arrested by Israeli soldiers for being a member of Hamas and was imprisoned for three years. In 1992, he was expelled to Lebanon with other Hamas leaders and founders. After the 1993 interim peace accords were signed between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, Haniyeh returned to the Gaza Strip.

Since 2018, the U.S. has labeled Haniyeh as a terrorist, stating that he has strong ties to Hamas' military wing.

Hassan Nasrallah – Sept. 27

On Sept. 27, an Israeli airstrike in Beirut resulted in the death of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah.

The 64-year-old was inside Hezbollah’s central headquarters.

Hezbollah was founded by Nasrallah in 1982 and he was responsible for thousands of terrorist attacks against Israel, Jewish communities, and people worldwide.

With his leadership, Lebanon transformed into an armed fortress equipped with advanced precision weapons capable of targeting Israel and the entire region.

Yahya Sinwar – Oct. 16

On Oct. 16, Yahya Sinwar passed away during an Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip.

The massacre of Israeli civilians on Oct. 7 was widely attributed to Sinwar, the leader of Hamas.

Israel labeled the 61-year-old as "The Butcher of Khan Younis" due to his brutal and inhumane treatment of his adversaries, including both Israelis and Palestinians.

For months, Sinwar remained hidden in the Gaza Strip during Israel's war with Hamas, despite the Israel Defense Forces targeting him as a "dead man walking."

Prior to his death, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, stated that Sinwar fled in terror from our soldiers.

This report was contributed to by Landon Mion of Planet Chronicle, Benjamin Weinthal, Morgan Phillips, and The Associated Press.