Last updated on August 29th, 2024 at 07:45 am
Haifa, Israel – Apprehensions mounted among Israelis on Wednesday as dozens of hostages were still believed to be held captive in Gaza after the killing of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Anat Noy, resident of Haifa voiced apprehensions that this incident may threaten bargining deals in hostage cases: “We woke up today with a sense of fear in our hearts that this can escalate even more. There is no calm. we are afraid,” he said.
Haniyeh’s Killing and its Ramification
Hamas and Iranian Revolutionary Guards Wednesday announced that 61-year-old Haniyeh was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Tehran. Haniyeh had been in the Iranian capital to attend the swearing-in ceremony of President Masoud Pezeshkian. He was serving as Hamas’s political chief in the negotiations toward a cease-fire in Gaza in return for Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Its military arm, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades-a military faction of Hamas-threatened that an assassination of Haniyeh would raise the conflict to a whole new level, with “enormous consequences for the entire region.”
The Ongoing Conflict and the Case of the Hostages
The war, which started as an attack by Hamas against Israel, has claimed 1,197 lives-the majority of whom were civilians-according to official statistics provided by Israel. It also saw the operatives take hostage 251 people, where 111 are held captive in Gaza, including 39 who were confirmed dead by the Israeli military. In the current retaliatory campaign from Israel, over 39,445 people have been killed in Gaza, according to statistics given by the Hamas-run health ministry.
Poor Negotiations
Mediation by Qatar and Egypt, supported by the U.S., has not succeeded in either a cease-fire or a hostage release deal after months of trying, as Israel and Hamas blamed each other for the holdup. “I hope they will come back home and through their return, we will reach to the end of this war,” said Avit Ben-Ishai of Haifa. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the real achievement would be bringing the hostages home and urged world leaders to push for a determining development in the negotiations.
Reactions and Future Concerns
Tel Aviv resident Shahar Binyami was very apprehensive about possible reactions from Hamas and its allies such as Hezbollah. “What really bothers me now is the response from Hamas and Hezbollah, because my partner is on reserve in the north.
