Malaysia condemns ‘all acts of violence’, calls for dialogue
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran:
Malaysia condemns ‘all acts of violence’, calls for dialogue
Malaysia said it “unequivocally condemns all acts of violence, including targeted assassination” and urged “all peace-loving nations to join in denouncing such acts”.
Haniyeh’s assassination “underscores the urgent need for de-escalation and reinforces the necessity for all parties to engage in constructive dialogue and pursue peaceful resolutions,” the Malaysian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Haniyeh’s son pledges to keep fighting for freedom
Abdul Salam Haniyeh said his father’s killing will not end Palestinians’ resistance against Israel.
“My father survived four assassination attempts during his patriotic journey, and today Allah has granted him the martyrdom that he always wished for,” the younger Haniyeh said. “He was very keen to establish national unity and strived for the unity of all Palestinian factions and we affirm that this assassination will not deter the resistance, which will fight until freedom is achieved.”
Dozens of Haniyeh family members killed since October 7
Before his assassination, Haniyeh’s family members based in Gaza have been targeted by Israel.
In June, 10 members of his family were killed in an Israeli air strike in northern Gaza’s Shati refugee camp. Back then, the Hamas leader said that more than 60 of his family members had been killed since the start of the war on October 7.
In April, three of his sons – Hazem, Amir and Mohammad – were killed when the car they were driving in was bombed in Gaza’s Shati camp.
Four of Haniyeh’s grandchildren, three girls and a boy, were also killed in the attack, according to Hamas.
China condemns Haniyeh’s assassination
Lin Jian, the spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, condemned the Hamas leader’s death and said Beijing is “deeply concerned that this incident may lead to further instability in the regional situation”.
Lin added that “Gaza should achieve a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire as soon as possible”.
China, which has historically been sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, hosted rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah in Beijing earlier this month. At that meeting, the two sides signed an agreement to form a “national unity government” in post-war Gaza.
Iran’s president vows to make Israel ‘regret cowardly action’
Masoud Pezeshkian has issued a statement saying Tehran will defend its territorial integrity and dignity.
Here’s the full statement released by state media:
“Today, dear Iran is mourning its sharer of sorrows and joys, the constant and proud companion of the path of resistance, the brave leader of the Palestinian resistance, the martyr of al-Quds, Haj Ismail Haniyeh. Yesterday I raised his victorious hand and today I have to bury him on my shoulders.
Martyrdom is the art of men of God. The bond between the two proud nations of Iran and Palestine will be stronger than before, and the path of resistance and defense of the oppressed will be followed stronger than ever.
The Islamic Republic of Iran will defend its territorial integrity, honour, dignity and pride, and make the terrorist occupiers regret their cowardly action.”
Israel used dogs, waterboarding on Palestinian detainees from Gaza: UN report
Thousands of Palestinians have been forcibly removed from Gaza, sometimes from bomb shelters, and dragged into detention in Israel where some have been tortured and at least 53 detainees have died, according to a UN human rights office report released on Tuesday.
Often, they were blindfolded and shackled before being transported to Israel and placed in “cage-like” military centres and forced to wear nothing but nappies for prolonged periods, it said.
“The testimonies gathered by my Office and other entities indicate a range of appalling acts, such as waterboarding and the release of dogs on detainees, amongst other acts, in flagrant violation of international human rights law and international humanitarian law,” said UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk in a statement.
Israel’s prison service held more than 9,400 “security detainees” as of the end of June, and some have been held in secret without access to lawyers or respect for their legal rights.
The report, which is based on interviews with former detainees and other sources, decries a “staggering” number of detainees – including men, women, children, journalists and human rights defenders – and said such practices raise concerns about arbitrary detention.
Israel’s treatment of Palestinian detainees has come under growing scrutiny following multiple media reports and statements from human rights groups describing torture.
On Monday, nine Israeli reservists were taken for questioning by the Israeli army amid a continuing investigation over serious sexual abuse against a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman detention camp. Far-right politicians, including members of the Knesset, have protested against the detention of soldiers suspected of sexual abuse.
Netanyahu’s reckoning gets postponed again as region plunges into chaos
Wadie Said, a professor of law at the University of Colorado School of Law, described the attacks on Hezbollah’s Shukr in Beirut and Hamas’s Haniyeh in Tehran as an “incredibly dangerous series of events”.
“And I have to question what the US knew, and how it would possibly process such an incredible escalation,” he told Al Jazeera.
The academic went on to suggest that Haniyeh’s assassination may benefit Netanyahu.
“It came amid a lot of coverage about how Israeli security and military figures were very frustrated because Netanyahu personally seemed to be holding up the talks for a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange and ending the horrendous genocidal conflict in Gaza,” Said noted. “In addition, we just had the scenes from yesterday of Israelis rioting for their right to abuse and even rape Palestinian detainees, and then now, Netanyahu gets to have his day of political reckoning postponed as the region gets plunged into further chaos and more suffering.”
