Egypt, Qatar: Strikes in Beirut and Tehran harm hostage talks; Blinken: Ceasefire vital
Jerusalem doesn’t claim to know how Hamas might respond to the killing of Haniyeh in Iran; US defense secretary pledges to help defend Israel but aims to ‘take the temperature down’
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
After weeks of cautious progress on attempts to move toward a hostage-ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, mediating countries warned on Wednesday that overnight strikes on senior terrorist leaders would get in the way of an agreement.
Qatar’s prime minister cast doubt on Israel’s seriousness about reaching a deal after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, widely attributed to Israel.
“Political assassinations & 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?” wrote Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani on X. “Peace needs serious partners & a global stance against the disregard for human life.”
Qatar, along with Egypt and the US, has been mediating talks between Israel and Hamas throughout the war in Gaza. It also hosts Hamas leaders, including Haniyeh.
Israel has not taken responsibility for the killing of Haniyeh. It did, however, boast about carrying out a deadly strike on Hezbollah military leader Fuad Shukr in Beirut on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on how it believes the strikes will affect the talks, but anonymous officials have said that Jerusalem is still not sure how Hamas might react.
“We are waiting to learn the developments,” an Israeli official told the Haaretz newspaper.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said that the strikes undermine “the strenuous efforts made by Egypt and its partners to stop the war in the Gaza Strip,” and “indicate the absence of Israeli political will to calm the situation.”
Iranian state TV said that the strike on Haniyeh would set talks back by several months, according to The New York Times.
Speaking to CNN, a source “with knowledge of the negotiations” said that Haniyeh’s assassination could “complicate mediation talks.”
“He was someone who saw the value of a deal and was instrumental to getting certain breakthroughs in the talks,” the source told CNN.
However, some experts don’t see Haniyeh as the key decision-maker.
Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar “makes decisions more based on what is happening in Gaza than on what happens to a leader who spends his time in six-star hotels in Qatar,” Yaakov Amidror, a former national security adviser who is now a senior fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategic Studies, told The Times of Israel.
Some 111 of the 251 hostages seized by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, now for nearly 300 days, including the bodies of 39 confirmed dead by the IDF. Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014.
On Monday, Hamas said it had received the latest response from Israel, following talks in Rome involving Israel, the United States, Egypt and Qatar. It also accused Netanyahu on Monday of preventing a ceasefire in Gaza by adding new conditions and demands to a US-backed Israeli truce proposal, charges the prime minister later denied.
Israel’s Channel 12 news reported on Tuesday evening that Netanyahu had somewhat softened the terms of his demand for the deal to prevent the return of armed men to northern Gaza. In the latest Israeli proposal, it said, Netanyahu agreed to the following text: “The two sides will agree on a mechanism for checking armed people [will not return to northern Gaza]”
Washington, which sponsors the talks, has repeatedly said a deal is close; the latest talks are based on a proposal US President Joe Biden unveiled in May.
Hamas wants a ceasefire agreement to end the war in Gaza, while Netanyahu says the conflict will stop only once Hamas is defeated. There are also disagreements over how a deal would be implemented.
The US did not indicate any concern on Wednesday that the attacks would hold up negotiations. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken would only say that a ceasefire in Gaza was “the enduring imperative.”
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, meanwhile, spoke to his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant, and reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to Israel’s security and right to self-defense.
Austin said earlier Wednesday that Washington would continue to help defend Israel if it were attacked, but the priority was de-escalating tensions.
“We certainly will help defend Israel. You saw us do that April. You can expect to see us do that again,” he said. On April 14, the US was instrumental in building a coalition that downed hundreds of missiles and drones fired by Iran at Israel.
“We don’t want to see any of that happen. We’re going to work hard to make sure that we’re doing things to help take the temperature down and address issues through diplomatic gatherings.”
A Western diplomat told The Times of Israel that Hamas would likely walk away from talks in the short term, but over time still has a pressing interest in ending the war.
The Izz a-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, said that the assassination of the group’s leader in Tehran was a “critical event” that takes the battle with Israel to “new levels,” and would have “major repercussions on the entire region.”
It added that Netanyahu was leading Israel “towards the abyss,” but was silent on the talks.
Families of hostages held in Gaza expressed fear that the Haniyeh killing could derail talks.
“Haniyeh could have been killed 15 years ago, and they didn’t do it. Why now that there is a deal on the table, they chose to kill him?” Sharone Lifschitz, whose 83-year-old father Oded was taken captive by Hamas on October 7, said to Haaretz. Her mother Yocheved, 85, was also taken hostage, and was freed on October 28.
Naama Weinberg, whose cousin Itay Svirsky was murdered and whose body is being held in Gaza, said, “It appalls me that once again this government chooses to eliminate the terrorists first before rescuing the hostages.”
The Hostages Families Forum issued a statement lauding the military accomplishments over the past day, but added that “any true achievement can only be realized with the release of all 115 hostages still in captivity.”
“The deal proposed by the Israeli government and supported by President Biden represents the only viable path to secure their freedom, allowing the living to begin rehabilitation and the murdered to receive proper burial,” the statement said.
“Time is of the essence, and we implore the Israeli government and global leaders to decisively advance negotiations. This is the time for a deal. Securing the hostages’ release is not just a moral imperative; it is the key for ending the current conflict and initiating a process of healing and reconstruction in the region.”
