Mediators say Haniyeh killing harms deal, Israel wants hostage release

Qatar and Egypt have warned that the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh harms the possibility of finalizing a deal to free the remaining 115 hostages, while Israel has insisted that it is determined to secure their release through an agreement.

“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 [and] a global stance against the disregard for human life.”

Israel has not claimed responsibility for Haniyeh’s killing but is widely presumed to have been responsible.

Haniyeh, who typically resides in Qatar, was killed just hours after Israel’s targeted killing of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, who was responsible for the rocket strike in the Golan Heights on Saturday that killed 12 children.

White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said the US was still pursuing a deal and had a team in the region working on that agreement.

“We still believe the details can be hashed out,” Kirby said. These negotiations have been complicated and remain complicated, he explained.

Events in the region over the last 48 hours “certainly don’t make it less complicated,” Kirby stated.

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said a “dangerous Israeli escalation policy” over the past two days had undermined efforts to broker an end to the fighting in Gaza.

“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,” the statement said.

“It undercuts the strenuous efforts made by Egypt and its partners to stop the war in the Gaza Strip and put an end to the human suffering of the Palestinian people,” it added.

Qatar and Egypt, with the help of the United States, have been the main mediators for a hostage and ceasefire deal, based on a framework unveiled by US President Joe Biden on May 31.

An Israeli negotiating team was in Rome on Sunday for talks held by CIA Director William Burns. There was no sign of progress at those talks, where Israel delivered its clarifications on to the May 31 deal.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stressed the importance of continuing to work towards reaching a deal during a phone call with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin on Wednesday.

Gallant's statement

“During the discussion, the minister also highlighted that, especially during these times, the State of Israel is working to achieve a framework for the release of hostages,” a statement by Gallant’s office said.

Government spokesman David Mencer told reporters in an online briefing that Israel remained committed to the negotiations.

“These talks are ongoing and Israel is committed to the success of these talks,” he said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he believed that Israelis’ strong military responses, including the assassination of Shukr, had helped make it more possible to achieve a deal.

Israel’s security cabinet met on Sunday in the aftermath of Haniyeh’s killing.

Haniyeh had not been directly involved in the day-to-day Gaza ceasefire negotiations and was not leading the talks, but had been viewed as more moderate when compared with Gaza Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

The senior Hamas figure who has been central throughout ceasefire and hostage release negotiations is Khalil Al-Hayya, an official briefed on the talks told Reuters previously.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken clarified that the US was not involved in Haniyeh’s killing during an interview he gave to Channel News Asia.

He later spoke with the Qatari prime minister about the importance of continuing with a deal.

Blinken “emphasized the importance of continuing to work to reach a ceasefire to the conflict in Gaza that would secure the release of hostages, alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people, and unlock the possibility of broader stability. He reiterated that the United States would continue to work to ensure an agreement is reached,” the State Department said in a readout of the meeting.

Al Than discussed in a phone call with acting Iranian Foreign Minister Bagheri Kani the repercussions of Haniyeh’s assassination, Qatar’s state news agency reported on Wednesday.

Reuters contributed to this report.