Tension is rising in the Middle East: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh , head of the organization's political office since 2017, was killed in an Israeli raid on his residence in Tehran.
At the moment no data has been provided by Iran on the manner of the killing, the hypothesis is that of a guided missile launched from an aircraft on the target.
The residence, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards simply report, «was hit in Tehran and, following this incident, he and one of his bodyguards were martyred»: «The Zionist regime will undoubtedly face a response harsh and painful on the part of the powerful and vast front of the resistance, in particular Iran – write the Revolutionary Guards -. This crime indicates that the criminal, murderous and terrorist gang of Zionists has no respect for international norms and does not hesitate to commit any criminal act, in order to cover up its humiliating failure in the Gaza war." Hamas' military wing in Gaza also said the killing would "take the battle to new dimensions" and have "enormous consequences across the region."
«A cowardly act and a dangerous development», was the condemnation of the Palestinian president Abu Mazen , who called «the Palestinian people and the popular forces to unity, patience and firmness in the face of the Israeli occupation». Iran is currently holding an emergency meeting of the Supreme National Security Council in the residence of the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei , "an event that occurs under extraordinary circumstances", wrote on X Iran international.
The news quickly went around the world: while the Palestinian factions called for a general strike and protest demonstrations in the Territories, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the ceasefire in Gaza is now "imperative". The United States, he added, was neither "informed" nor "involved".
Ismail Haniyeh was 62 years old, headed the political wing of Hamas and was the face of the Palestinian extremist organization in the world. He had also been prime minister of the Palestinian National Authority from 2006 to 2007. His life had been marked by the Arab-Palestinian conflict: he was born during the Egyptian occupation of the Strip in a refugee camp, where the family had taken refuge after the Palestinian exodus following the birth of Israel in 1948. He had studied in UNWRA schools, graduated in Arabic language and literature from the Islamic University of Gaza, was married and the father of 13 children. He had been arrested several times by Israel and deported to Lebanon; he had been living in Qatar for years. His figure was considered among the least extremist faces of Hamas; he had, and still had, a central role in the negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza, also participating in person in meetings with Israeli delegations . Now his killing further complicates the scenario.
(Unioneonline/D)