Qatar and Egypt, key players in the ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, have questioned the future of negotiations following the Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination.
Haniyeh was killed in Tehran in what the Palestinian group described as “a treacherous Zionist raid on his residence”.
Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said a “dangerous Israeli escalation policy” over the past two days had undermined efforts to broker an end to the fighting in Gaza where almost 40,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks since October last year.
“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,” a Foreign Ministry statement said.
“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?” Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani wrote on X.
“Peace needs serious partners & a global stance against the disregard for human life.”
