In an unusual coincidence on the international stage, two political leaders, both of whom served in speaker roles in their respective national governments, died on Friday, though under vastly different circumstances, as the Pakistan Observer and Israel National News separately report.

The outlets noted the deaths of Goyar Ayub Khan, former Pakistani foreign minister and speaker of the National Assembly as well as the killing of senior Hamas leader Ahmed Bahar, a deputy speaker of the terrorist group's legislative council.

Former Pakistani politician dies

The death of Goyar Ayub Kahn at the age of 86 on Friday was confirmed by his son, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan, as Pakistani outlet The News noted.

The outlet further indicated that the former foreign minister and assembly speaker had been receiving treatment at an Islamabad hospital for some time, but the nature of his illness was undisclosed.

As the sad news began to travel, tributes for the longtime politician began to pour in, with President Dr. Arif Alvi taking time to express condolences to the family and his hopes for eternal peace for the departed's soul.

Funeral prayers were held on Saturday for Goyar Ayub Khan in the Rehana area of Haripur, and after mourners paid their respects, he was laid to rest in his family's ancestral graveyard.

Senior Hamas leader killed

According to I24 News, Bahar sustained injuries in an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) airstrike earlier last week and eventually succumbed to his wounds by week's end.

Hamas, for its part, has not offered any confirmation of reports announcing Bahar's demise.

At age 76, Bahar's political career included time spent at the helm of the Shura Council of Hamas as well as a stint as deputy speaker inside the Palestinian Parliament.

According to reports, Bahar was the father of 13 children.

Hamas under increasing strain

The death of Bahar comes at a time with Hamas is facing a continued onslaught from the IDF as well as Israeli progress in efforts to undermine the network of underground resources in Gaza, as Arutz Sheva explains.

IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari noted on Thursday, “Hamas leadership is under pressure because they know what they are concealing. In the past few days, there have been media reports regarding a significant number of IDF and [Israel Security Agency] attacks. At this stage we can say that there have been two significant attacks on two different underground sites.”

Hagari went on to list a number of high-ranking Hamas commanders who were hiding in one of the aforementioned sites, underscoring Israel's commitment to rooting out key figures in the terror group's leadership hierarchy.

“Hamas is trying to hide in the aftermath of the attack,” he added, and while he could not elaborate with greater specificity, Hagari noted, “We can definitely say that the underground areas that they were in during the attacks were significantly damaged,” and it seems likely that more noteworthy neutralizations of terror group leaders such as Bahar are in the offing.