WASHINGTON, Aug 2 — United States President Joe Biden said yesterday the killing of Palestinian Hamas’ leader Ismail Haniyeh was not helpful for reaching a ceasefire in Israel’s war in Gaza.
There has been an increased risk of an escalation into a broader Middle East war after the assassination of Haniyeh in Iran drew threats of retaliation against Israel.
Hamas and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirmed the death of Haniyeh, who had participated in internationally brokered indirect talks on reaching a ceasefire in Gaza.
Anxious residents in Israel-besieged Gaza feared Haniyeh’s killing on Wednesday would prolong the war.
Iran said the killing took place hours after Haniyeh attended a swearing-in ceremony for its new president.
“It doesn’t help,” Biden told reporters late yesterday, when asked if Haniyeh’s assassination ruined the chances for a ceasefire agreement.
Biden also said he had a direct conversation with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier yesterday.
Netanyahu’s government has issued no claim of responsibility but he has said Israel has delivered crushing blows to Iran’s proxies of late, including Hamas and Lebanon-based Hezbollah, and would respond forcefully to any attack.
Israel’s tensions with Iran and Hezbollah have fanned fears of a widened conflict in a region already on edge amid Israel’s assault on Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands and caused a humanitarian crisis.
The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israel-Palestine conflict was triggered on October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israel’s tallies.
The Gaza Health Ministry said since then, Israel’s military assault on the Hamas-governed enclave has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians, while also displacing nearly the entire population of 2.3 million, causing a hunger crisis and leading to genocide accusations that Israel denies.
The United States has said it was not involved in the killing of Haniyeh.
— Reuters
