Hamas diplomacy chief Ismail Haniyeh, considered by many to be the top political leader, has died in Iran along with one of his escorts, after bombing the building where they were. Israel is charged with multiple murder, including Hamas and the Iranian government. The murder of the leader of Hamas has led to an increase in tension in the region and could lead to the suspension of negotiations. In fact, Haniyeh was the main reference in the negotiations, and the murder has raised more doubts about the feasibility of the agreement, according to CNN.

Iran has pledged that it will "severely punish" Israel, as revenge for the death of Haniyeh, who has been arrested. "It is our responsibility to avenge this bloody attack in the Islamic Republic," said Iran's top leader, Ali Khamenen Ayatola, in statements collected by Europe Press. He has been in charge of conducting Haniyeh's funeral of honour in Tehran, with thousands of people. "The murder is not going to go unanswered," said the spokesman of the Iranian Parliament, who added that Haniyeh was "the voice of all Palestinians in the world".

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States was unaware of the attack and "did not take part in the murder of Haniyeh." The Secretary of Defense has said that the Middle East war is not inevitable, but that if Israel suffers attacks, the United States will help it defend it. Many experts say that it is not in the interests of the United States to embark on a regional war, and that Netanyahu is taking that path.

Representatives of several countries have denounced the murder of Haniye, including China and Turkey, and have accused Netanyahu of not wanting peace. The former Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulraman, who has mediated in the negotiations, has made a public complaint asking how a mediation can succeed, “if one party kills the negotiator of the other”.

On the other hand, Israel has murdered Fuad Shukr, one of the founders of Hezbollah in Beirut, who was the leading leader. The murder responds, according to Israel, to the death of twelve children from the Drujos community on the Golan heights occupied by Israel, although Hezbollah has not taken on that attack. In addition, the Israeli Army has reported that Hamas military leader Mohamed Deif was killed in a bombing of Gaza in July, but the Palestinian group has not confirmed this at the moment. Deif Qassam, one of the founders of the brigades, has been the head of the Militia for more than twenty years.

With all these killings, many actors in the region have hardened their opposition to Israel. The UN Security Council has convened an emergency meeting to address the escalation of tensions. The Palestinian representative at the UN said that “the international community must choose, be in favour of peace and security, or let Israel lead us to the abyss.” Since 7 October, Israel has committed more than 17,000 attacks in five Middle East countries: In the occupied Palestinian territories, in Lebanon, in Syria, in Yemen and in Iran.

Who was Ismail Haniyeh

Haniyeh has been for over two decades a leading member of HAMAS and leader of the HAMAS political group since 2017. Considered a terrorist by the United States since 2018, in 2019 he left Gaza and has since lived abroad, exercising as head of Hamas diplomacy.

Last April, Israel murdered its three children and several grandchildren in bombings in the Gaza Strip. Haniyeh has lived in Qatar in recent years. In the context of the genocide that began in October, Haniyeh has been a major intermediary in the ceasefire negotiations opened by Qatar, Egypt and the United States. According to some sources, it could be close to a base of pre-agreement, but the murder of Haniyeh has put the situation upside down, so it is about to see how it lands.

Death of journalists

On Wednesday, Israel killed two journalists from the Al Yazira chain, the correspondent Ismail al-Ghoul and the Rami al-Rifi camera, while performing journalism work in the Gaza Strip. When they were in western Gaza City, the Zionist army bombs have reached their vehicle and killed the two. Mohamed Moawad, editor of Al Jazeera, praised the "courage" of journalists for their work in reporting the genocide in Gaza.

Several agents have denounced that Israel’s systematic attacks on journalists have been perpetrated by the Israeli Army. Since 7 October, 165 Palestinian journalists have been shot dead by the Zionists, according to the Gaza Government.