“There will be a harsh punishment”

The death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniya has caused mixed reactions in the Middle East. Many politicians in the region are expressing solidarity and calling for retribution.

Following the death of Ismail Haniya, numerous actors in the Middle East have spoken out. While some are vowing revenge, there is also relief in some places. Numerous countries in the region have expressed their regret over Haniya’s death and have announced, in some cases, drastic reactions.

This includes Iranian President Massoud Peseschkian, whose swearing-in ceremony Haniya attended shortly before his death. He threatened Israel with consequences for the murder. Iran will defend its “territorial integrity” and “make the terrorist invaders regret their cowardly act,” Peseschkian said on the online service X.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has also promised retaliation. “The criminal Zionist regime (Israel) murdered our guest in our house,” Khamenei was quoted as saying on his website. “There will be a harsh punishment.”

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Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said: “Haniyeh’s martyrdom in Tehran will strengthen the deep and unbreakable bond between Tehran, Palestine and the resistance.” His blood will never be shed in vain, he said, according to Iranian media.

The Iran-backed Houthi militia from Yemen also expressed dismay. It was a “heinous terrorist crime” and a “blatant violation of laws and ideological values,” wrote Mohammed Ali al-Huthi, a member of the Houthi political bureau, on X.

The chairman of the Houthi High Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, spoke of a “great loss for the Palestinian people and the entire people of Islam” and called Haniya a martyr. Israel and the USA must bear responsibility for the expansion of the war in the region. The Houthi militia is standing by Hamas with all its strength.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese Hezbollah, which is also allied with Hamas and Iran, said the incident would lead to even more resistance against Israel. Haniya “was one of the great resistance fighters of our time who courageously resisted US domination and Zionist occupation,” Hezbollah said. He was prepared to die for the cause he believed in. Through his death, “resistance fighters in all theaters” would fight even more determinedly and “strengthen their will to confront the Zionist enemy.”

Words of condemnation also came from the Palestinian territories. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned Haniya’s murder in a statement as a “cowardly act”. The head of the Palestinian Authority spoke of a “dangerous development”.

The Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Hussein Al-Sheik, wrote on Platform X that his organization condemned “the murder of the national leader” Haniya. He spoke of the need for unity among the various Palestinian groups and factions.

An alliance of various political groups in the West Bank called for a general strike in response to Haniya’s death. They also said they would seek confrontation with Israeli soldiers at checkpoints. It remained unclear whether these would be demonstrations or attacks.

The Palestinian terrorist organization Islamic Jihad used similar words. After the killing, it spoke of a “heinous murder.” In a statement, it said that Haniya was a “symbol of resistance” and a great national leader. His death would not deter the Palestinian people from their continued resistance.

Qatar, the key mediator in talks on a ceasefire in the Gaza war, has meanwhile questioned the negotiations following the death of Ismail Haniya. “Political assassinations and repeated attacks on civilians in the Gaza Strip during the talks make us ask how can one successfully mediate when one party murders the mediator on the other side?” Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani wrote on X. “Peace needs serious partners and a global stance against disregard for human life.”