Qatar and Egypt, key players in the ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, are questioning the future of the negotiations following the assassination of Hamas’s political leader, Ismail Haniyeh. Haniyeh was killed in Tehran in what the Palestinian group describes as “a treacherous Zionist attack on his residence.”
“Political assassinations and ongoing assaults on civilians in Gaza, while negotiations continue, lead us to question how mediation can succeed when one party is killing the negotiator on the other side,” wrote Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on social media platform X.
Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that “a dangerous Israeli escalation policy” over the past two days has undermined efforts to achieve an end to the fighting in Gaza, where nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes since October of last year. “The coincidence of this regional escalation with the lack of progress in the ceasefire talks in Gaza increases the complexity of the situation and indicates the absence of Israeli political will to de-escalate the conflict,” read a statement from the ministry.
Qatar, Egypt, and the United States have repeatedly attempted to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict. However, a final agreement to stop the war and release hostages in Gaza as well as Palestinian prisoners in Israel has proven challenging, with no signs of progress reported following the latest round of talks in Rome on Sunday.
Nour Odeh, a political analyst, told Al Jazeera that it will be very difficult for the ceasefire talks to gain any traction at this time. “There might not be a dramatic change in the ground dynamics in Gaza regarding the fighting, but the prospects for a ceasefire are more distant than ever before,” she stated.
In Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, Palestinians mourning Haniyeh’s death expressed similar sentiments. “This man [Haniyeh] could have signed the prisoner exchange agreement with the Israelis,” said Saleh al-Shannar, who was displaced from his home in northern Gaza. “Why did they kill him? They killed peace, not Ismail Haniyeh.”
Nour Abu Salam, a displaced woman, stated that the assassination showed Israel does not wish to end the war and establish peace in the region. “By killing Haniyeh, they destroy everything,” she remarked.
Following the assassination of the Hamas leader, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized that a ceasefire in Gaza is crucial to preventing the conflict from spreading to the rest of the region. “We have worked 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 be north with Lebanon and Hezbollah, or in the Red Sea with the Houthis, or with Iran, Syria, Iraq – name it,” Blinken said at a forum in Singapore. “A key aspect to ensuring that does not happen, and that we can move towards a better situation, is to secure a ceasefire.”
According to U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, Blinken has spoken with Qatar’s prime minister, emphasizing “the importance of continuing efforts to reach a ceasefire.” At the same time, Israeli officials, who have yet to comment on Haniyeh’s assassination, have stated that ceasefire talks will continue. Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s office said on Wednesday that he underscored the importance of continuing to work towards an agreement to release the remaining 115 Israeli and foreign hostages in a phone call with his American counterpart, Lloyd Austin. Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer added, “Israel remains committed to the negotiations.”