Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, August 4, blamed Hamas for failing to reach a long-delayed agreement to end the war in Gaza and release Israeli hostages. This agreement comes more than 300 days after it began with attacks on the Israeli border on October 7.
Speaking during the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said that although Israel has agreed to the initial outline of the agreement, Hamas is still demanding more changes. Cross-border firing between Israel and Hamas, the Islamic group that controls the Gaza Strip, continued on Sunday.
Regional tension after Haniya’s murder
There appears to be little possibility of a settlement due to increased regional tensions following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniya in Tehran on Wednesday. A day earlier, Fuad Shukr, the top military commander of the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, was killed in an Israeli attack in Beirut.
Both Hamas and Iran have accused Israel of Haniya’s killing and have promised to retaliate. Israel has neither claimed responsibility for the killing nor denied it.
Like Hamas, Hezbollah also has the support of Iran and it has also vowed to take revenge after the assassination of the Hamas leader. “The State of Israel is in a multi-regional war against Iran. We are striking any of its weapons with force,” Netanyahu told his ministers at a cabinet meeting.
Also read: Israeli army’s fierce attack in 2 cities of Gaza, airstrike on school, 20 people died
Tension has increased in the Middle East after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniya in Iran’s capital Tehran. Dozens of missiles were fired from Lebanon at Israel in the early hours of Sunday. During this time, sounds of sirens were also heard continuously. After this, Israel has issued a red alert in the entire country. However, it claims that all the missiles have been destroyed in the air by Iron Don.
Lebanese citizen Hamada Al Haraj said, “I was saddened when I learned of Ismail Haniya’s death. His death was heartbreaking. He was an honorable man. His killing was the biggest mistake. His presence is very bad for Gaza.” It was necessary that he opposed the war and worked for a ceasefire in Gaza. It depends on the intentions of the mediators whether the ceasefire will happen or not.