The Zionist terrorist act that killed Ismail Haniyeh, the former Prime Minister of Palestine and chairman of the Hamas Political Affairs Bureau, in an airstrike at his residence in Tehran, has a negative impact on the efforts of Qatar and Egypt, supported by the majority of countries, to achieve at least a temporary halt to Israel's attack on Palestine, which has been going on for ten months by shaking the conscience of the world. The brave, tactful and prudent leader of Hamas, the Palestinian resistance movement fighting for the liberation of his homeland, has been on Israel's hitlist for quite some time. Haniyeh never expected that the Zionist state, which had killed by stealth many leaders, including the brave hero of the Palestinian Liberation Movement, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin (2004), his successor Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi (2004), Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh (2010), and Hamas armed forces chief Ahmed Jabari (2012), would let him go. He had revealed this many times before. Haniyeh, who was expelled from Gaza, has been living in Doha, the capital of Qatar, for a long time, a fact that America, the guardian of Israel, well knew. Following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, when Benjamin Netanyahu's government pledged the elimination of Hamas and wiping out the entire Gaza population through a powerful military operation, the United States, which supported Israel militarily, economically, and politically, was participating in the ceasefire talks not without knowing about the Zionist hit list.
The United States is participating in the ceasefire talks initiated by Qatar as part of its policy to maintain Israel's patronage on the one hand and not to embarrass the Arab oil states for economic interests on the other. Abstaining from voting on a US General Assembly resolution for a conditional ceasefire while vetoing all UN Security Council resolutions for a ceasefire, was a case of pure double standards. Now, the US presidential election campaign is in full swing. Even the verbal spat between President Joe Biden and presidential candidate Donald Trump is about who is the more sincere and effective supporter of Netanyahu's Israel. Unable even to speak cogently due to age-related conditions, Biden had to withdraw from the race when his own party dropped him, but his nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, is the new Democratic Party candidate. Although Kamala is outwardly calling for an end to the war and establishing peace in Gaza, it should be remembered that Democrats applauded it along with Republicans when Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu repeated his firm pledge to destroy Hamas in front of the US Congress. In this context, observers are assessing that the possibility of resuming the Gaza ceasefire talks is remote. While the martyrdom of Ismail Haniyeh was not unexpected for Hamas, Haniyeh has and will continue to have successors, as it was the collective leadership that effectively led Hamas. Hamas might respond positively to settlement proposals for Gaza without surrendering it to Netanyahu, acknowledging the sad truth that 40,000 innocent people have already been sacrificed.
Netanyahu, who fears that the moment he stops the mass killing of innocents, he will not only lose his prime ministership but also be subjected to a harsh trial, is unlikely to end his rampage of terror voluntarily. Countries such as Britain, the United States and Australia are calling on Israel to stop the atrocities, the European Union is speaking out against Israel, and the people of the world are by and large in protest against the Gaza attack, which only sows losses. Yet if Netanyahu and his more extreme allies are not ready to stop the bloodshed, the only reason for that is the support of the United States. But the relevant question is whether Iran will not retaliate against the Zionists who killed through deceit the Hamas diplomat, whom they had invited to witness the swearing-in ceremony of their new prime minister. Lebanon's Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthis are already allied with Iran. While nowhere close to Israel in terms of military power, this alliance could further exacerbate an environment in which the Israelis cannot sleep peacefully. Also, it cannot be denied that the uprising of his own people to oust Netanyahu will become more intense. Ultimately, it is reasonable to assume that Hamas will prove that Ismail Haniyeh's martyrdom will not be in vain.