Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was killed in Iran, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Wednesday that the US was “not aware of or involved in” the killing.
“I am unable to interpret this for you. Based on a transcript his office gave, Blinken stated, “I can tell you that the imperative of getting a ceasefire, the importance that that has for everyone, remains.” The interview was conducted with Channel News Asia in Singapore.
According to Hamas, Haniyeh was killed by an Israeli air attack on Wednesday as he was in attendance at the inauguration of Iran’s new president.
The battle in Gaza began on October 7, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to annihilate Hamas in retaliation.
Blinken stated that a truce in Gaza “remains manifestly in the interests” of the Israeli prisoners and Gazans who have been “caught in this crossfire of Hamas’s making.” Washington is Israel’s principal military ally and has been advocating for a ceasefire.
In his capacity as the political leader of Hamas, Haniyeh was in charge of negotiating a settlement that would free hostages in Gaza and stop the conflict in return for Israeli-detained Palestinian detainees.
A ceasefire in Gaza is also essential to preventing the crisis from escalating and affecting the rest of the region, according to Blinken, who is now in Singapore.
“We’ve been working from day one not only to try to get to a better place in Gaza but also to prevent the conflict from spreading, whether it’s the north with Lebanon and Hezbollah, whether it’s the Red Sea with the Huthis, whether it’s Iran, Syria, Iraq, you name it,” Blinken said at a forum in the city state.
“A big key to trying to make sure that that doesn’t happen, and that we can move to a better place, is getting the ceasefire.”
Following Haniyeh’s murder, Qatar, a key peace negotiator and the home of Hamas’ senior leadership, has expressed doubts about the continuation of the discussions.
The “cowardly” murder of their experienced commander, according to Hamas, “will not go unanswered.”.
1,197 people, primarily civilians, were killed in the strike on southern Israel on October 7, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli numbers.
Additionally, 251 hostages were taken by the military and are still being held captive in Gaza (111 of them are believed to be dead).
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