World Leaders Denounce Killing Of Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh

By Nabilah Saleh

KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 (Bernama) -- The killing of Hamas leader and political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh has sparked widespread condemnation from leaders and officials around the world.

Hamas announced early Wednesday that its political bureau chief was killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting his residence in the Iranian capital, Tehran, according to international media reports.

According to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said, "We condemn the assassination of Haniyeh and see a serious risk of expanding global concern and danger in the region."

In ISTANBUL, the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Wednesday condemned the "heinous" assassination, saying, "We extend our condolences to the Palestinian people who have sacrificed hundreds of thousands of martyrs like Haniyeh to live in peace in their homeland under the roof of their own state."

Haniyeh's assassination once again demonstrates that the Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has no intention of achieving peace, the statement added.

The ministry also warned that the region will face much larger conflicts if the international community does not take action to stop Israel.

"Turkiye will continue to support the just cause of the Palestinian people. Haniyeh's assassination aims to expand the conflict beyond Gaza to a regional scale" the statement added.

In RAMALLAH, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas denounced the act, labelling it a cowardly and dangerous development, and called on the Palestinian people to unite, be patient, and steadfast in the face of the Israeli occupation, as reported by the Palestine News Agency (WAFA).

The Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), Hussein al-Sheikh, has also firmly condemned the killing.

"We strongly denounce and condemn the assassination of the head of the Political Bureau, the national leader, Ismail Haniyeh. We consider it a cowardly act, which pushes us to remain more steadfast in the face of the occupation, and underscores the necessity of achieving the unity of the Palestinian forces and factions," he said in a post on X.

In MOSCOW, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told Sputnik on Wednesday that the country considers the death of Haniyeh to be an example of absolutely unacceptable political assassination, which threatens further escalation in the region.

Meanwhile, the US-based international media outlet CNN said on Wednesday that the White House is aware of reports of the killing of Hamas political bureau chief.

Iranian state television also reported Haniyeh’s death, noting that an investigation into the killing is ongoing and that the results will be announced soon.

No immediate announcement has been made by Israel regarding the incident.

Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the inauguration ceremony of the new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday (July 30).

-- BERNAMA