Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas’ political bureau, was killed Wednesday in an Israeli airstrike in Iran.
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Reactions are flooding in from across the globe.
Haniyeh’s son, Abdoul Salam Ismail Haniyeh, stated that his father had “gotten what he wanted. We are in a state of continuous revolution and struggle against the Israeli occupation” of the Palestinian territories, he said in a statement.
“The resistance will not end with the assassination of leaders, and Hamas will continue to resist until liberation,” he added.
A senior Hamas official said that the killing “will not go unanswered”.
Khamenei vowed “harsh punishment” after the assassination.
The former commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Mohsen Rezai, says that “Israel will pay a heavy price for killing Haniyeh.”
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian also stated that: “The Islamic Republic of Iran will defend its territorial integrity, honor, dignity and pride, and make the terrorist occupiers regret their cowardly action.”
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said the killing of Ismail Haniyeh was a “cowardly act” and urged Palestinians to remain united against Israel.
“President Mahmoud Abbas of the State of Palestine strongly condemned the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, deeming it a cowardly act and a serious escalation.”
Abbas’s office said in a statement. “He urged our people and their forces to unite, remain patient, and stand firm against the Israeli occupation.”
“The assassination of leader Ismail Haniyeh is a cowardly act and will not go unanswered,” Hamas political bureau member Musa Abu Marzuk said in a statement.
Hezbollah states: “The martyrdom of leader Ismaïl Haniyeh will strengthen the resolve and tenacity of the resistance fighters in all arenas of resistance to continue the path of jihad.”
Qatar, for its part, strongly condemns the assassination of the president of the Hamas Political Bureau.
Turkish President Recep expressed his belief that the killing was meant to “This assassination aims to undermine the noble resistance of Gaza and the righteous struggle of Palestinians”. He then reiterated Turkish support for Palestine saying “Türkiye will continue trying every route, pushing every door and supporting Palestinians with all our means.”
The Turkish Foreign Affairs Ministry condemned in a statement the “shameful assassination” of Haniyeh — an ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement.
“We condemn the assassination of the leader of Hamas’s political office, Ismail Haniyeh, in a shameful assassination in Tehran,” the ministry said, adding that “this attack also aims to spread the Gaza war to a regional dimension”.
Russia denounced the “unacceptable political assassination,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikhail Bogdanov said.
“It is a completely unacceptable political assassination, and this will lead to a further escalation of tensions,” Bogdanov told the state-run RIA Novosti news agency.
The Russian Foreign Ministry then urged calm, calling on all parties to prevent triggering a full-scale war.
The European Union on Wednesday urged all sides to avoid escalation.
China has condemned the “assassination” of the Hamas leader in Iran.
While the German Foreign Ministry has called on all sides and particularly on Iran to de-escalate.
Jordan denounced the killing, claiming Israel was harming regional stability and breaking international law.
Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a senior Houthi official and member of the political office of Ansar Allah, reacted to Haniyeh’s assassination by declaring on X: “It’s a heinous terrorist crime and a flagrant violation of the laws.”
The Taliban has said that the killing was “a great loss”.
On the American side, when asked about Israel’s involvement in the assassination of the Hamas leader and whether the U.S. had been informed in advance, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin responded: “I don’t have anything for you on that,” as reported by the NY Times.
With AFP
