The assassination of Hamas Politburo Chief Ismail Haniyeh early Wednesday has put the region at great risk of intensified violence.
BEIJING, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) — The assassination of Hamas Politburo Chief Ismail Haniyeh early Wednesday has triggered widespread condemnation, jeopardizing the ongoing, fragile Gaza truce talks and putting the region at great risk of intensified violence.
Haniyeh, who was in the Iranian capital Tehran to attend the inauguration of Iran’s new president, was killed together with his bodyguard in an airstrike before Wednesday dawn. The assassination was attributed to Israel by both Iran and Hamas, though Israel has not officially confirmed it yet.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei extended condolences to the Palestinian people, stressing that Israel has prepared the ground for a “harsh punishment” for itself. Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps in a statement condemned the “criminal act” as being in defiance of international regulations and laws, saying Israel “will receive a harsh and painful response” from Iran.
The killing of Haniyeh, one of the key figures in the indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas over the past months, would probably undermine efforts to reach a truce deal in Gaza. Currently, mediators are waiting for a response from Hamas to a revised proposal that Israel raised on Sunday.
A source close to Hamas told Xinhua that Haniyeh was expected to discuss the political and field developments related to the conflict in the Gaza Strip with the Iranian president.
Qatar, the main negotiator between the two sides, expressed doubts about continuing talks. “Political assassinations and the continued targeting of civilians in Gaza during negotiations lead us to ask: How can mediation succeed when one party assassinates the negotiator on the other side? Peace needs serious partners,” Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani wrote on the social media platform X.
Another important mediator, Egypt, also warned that the killing would “ignite confrontations in the region in a way that causes serious security consequences.”
“The coincidence of this regional escalation amid lack of progress in the ceasefire negotiations in Gaza increases the complexity of the situation, indicates the absence of Israeli political will for achieving calm, and undermines Egypt and its partners’ efforts to stop the war in the Gaza Strip,” the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
In Israel, families of the hostages that had been taken also voiced their concerns that efforts to bring their loved ones home would be jeopardized. It was “appalling” that once again the Israeli government chose to kill senior Hamas officials first before rescuing the hostages, the cousin of a hostage told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
The Israeli TV Channel 13 reported that negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage deal would be suspended for weeks or even months following Haniyeh’s death, citing an estimation presented to the Israeli government on Wednesday.
Apart from the truce negotiations, concerns are growing that violence in the region may escalate as a result of the assassination.
The New York Times reported later Wednesday that Khamenei has ordered a direct strike on Israel following the killing of Haniyeh, probably a combined drone and missile attack on military sites in Israel, citing several Iranian officials who had been briefed on the matter. The retaliation might be carried out in coordination with other armed groups in regional countries such as Yemen, Syria and Iraq “for maximum effect,” according to the report.
In a broadcast address to the nation on Wednesday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Israelis that “challenging days are ahead,” vowing his country “will exact a very heavy price against any aggression — from any front,” without mentioning the killing of Haniyeh.
An Israeli government source told Xinhua that Israel was preparing for “days of fighting,” and has boosted its defense on multiple fronts. But so far, there has been no change to the Home Front Command’s instructions to the public.
Ahmed Rafiq Awad, a Ramallah-based political expert, told Xinhua that the assassination will no doubt impede the truce talks and lead to the continuation of the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
The expert noted that the axis of resistance might respond to the attack with “large and dangerous” operations, further expanding the current conflict.
The assassination, through which Israel hopes to restrain the Iranians, will backfire on Israel, said Israeli political commentator Ori Goldberg.
Israel has “crossed a massive line,” and its adamant actions would unite the axis of resistance and push the international community back away from Israel, Goldberg added.
