Qatar, Egypt: Assassinations jeopardize efforts to secure ceasefire in Gaza

Qatar and Egypt have warned that political assassinations like the one that killed Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political bureau of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, will jeopardize efforts to secure a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Haniyeh was assassinated in an attack on his residence in the Iranian capital of Tehran in the early hours of Wednesday, just a day after he attended the swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s newly-elected president, Masoud Pezeshkian.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), in a statement, said the horrendous crime was the result of a terrorist act perpetrated by the cowardly and criminal Zionist regime of Israel.

Later in the day, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani emphasized that such political assassinations could damage efforts to secure a ceasefire in the besieged Gaza Strip, nearly ten months the occupying regime unleashed an ongoing brutal war on the Palestinian enclave  

“Political assassinations and continued targeting of civilians in Gaza while talks continue leads us to ask, how can mediation succeed when one party assassinates the negotiator on the other side?” Al Thani wrote on X.

“Peace needs serious partners & a global stance against the disregard for human life,” he stated.

Separately, Egypt’s foreign ministry said that a “dangerous Israeli escalation policy” over the past two days had undermined efforts to put an end to the months-long Israeli aggression against Palestinians in the blockaded territory.

“The coincidence of this regional escalation with the lack of progress in the ceasefire negotiations in Gaza increases the complexity of the situation and indicates the absence of Israeli political will to calm it down,” the ministry said in a statement.

The assassination of Haniyeh “undercuts the strenuous efforts made by Egypt and its partners to stop the war in the Gaza Strip and put an end to the human suffering of the Palestinian people,” it added.

Qatar and Egypt have acted so far as mediators in ceasefire negotiations between the Israeli regime and Hamas.

Israel launched its barbaric campaign in Gaza on October 7, 2023 after Hamas carried out a historic operation against the usurping regime in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

Since then, the regime has been committing war crimes in Gaza. It has killed more than 39,100 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

Iran urges global action to take Israel to task over Haniyeh assassination

The Iranian Foreign Ministry said the attack is another manifestation of the aggressive nature of the “criminal mafia ruling the occupied land of Palestine.”

After months of barbaric hostilities, the regime has failed to achieve its objectives of “destroying Hamas” and finding Israeli captives.

The assassination of Haniyeh now instills fear among Israelis, making a potential hostage deal with the Gaza-based Palestinian resistance group seem increasingly unlikely.

Haniyeh’s killing “was a mistake as it threatens the possibility of having a hostage deal,” an Israeli settler in the city of Haifa told AFP.

“We woke up today with a sense of fear in our hearts that this can escalate even more. There is no calm... we are afraid.”

After months of US-backed negotiations mediated by Qatar and Egypt, efforts have failed to secure a lasting ceasefire and hostage release deal between Hamas and Tel Aviv.

“What stresses me now is the reaction of Hamas and Hezbollah,” another Israeli in Tel Aviv told AFP.

Iran says it reserves the right to respond appropriately to this aggressive act against its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

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