Hamas promised that the “cowardly” murder of its veteran leader “will not go unanswered”. (File)
Singapore:
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that the United States was “not aware of or involved” in the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran.
“I can’t say what that means. I can say that the imperative of getting a ceasefire, the importance that that has for everyone, remains,” Blinken said, according to a transcript shared by his team of an interview with Channel. Asia News Singapore.
Haniyeh was attending the inauguration of Iran’s new president when he was killed by an Israeli airstrike, Hamas said on Wednesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Hamas in retaliation for its October 7 attack on Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza.
Washington is Israel’s main military backer and has been pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza, which Blinken said remains “manifestly in the interests” of the Israeli hostages and Gazans who have been “caught in this Hamas-created crossfire.”
As political head of the Palestinian movement Hamas, Haniyeh oversaw negotiations for a deal to end the war in Gaza and free hostages held there in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Blinken, who is visiting Singapore, said a ceasefire in Gaza is also critical to prevent the conflict from spreading to the rest of the region.
“We have been working since day one not only to try to get to a better place in Gaza, but also to prevent the conflict from spreading, whether in the North with Lebanon and Hezbollah, or in the Red Sea with the Huthis, or in the North , with Lebanon and Hezbollah, whether in the Red Sea, with the Huthis, whether in Iran, Syria, Iraq, you name it,” Blinken said at a forum in the city-state.
“A big key to trying to make sure that doesn’t happen and that we can move forward to a better place is to get a ceasefire.”
Qatar – a vital mediator in the truce talks that also hosts Hamas’ political leadership, which included Haniyeh – questioned the future of the talks in the wake of the assassination.
Hamas promised that the “cowardly” murder of its veteran leader “will not go unanswered”.
The October 7 attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,197 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP report based on official Israeli figures.
Agents also captured 251 hostages, 111 of whom are still held captive in Gaza, including 39 who the military says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign against Hamas has killed at least 39,400 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory’s Health Ministry, which does not provide details on civilian and operative deaths.
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