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China and Qatar yesterday condemned the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in an attack in Tehran, Iran, on Tuesday evening.
“We are very concerned about this incident. We strongly oppose and condemn this murder,” Lin Jian, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told a news conference. China has supported the Palestinian cause for decades.
Separately, Qatar – one of the mediators between Hamas and Israel in the war in the Gaza Strip – yesterday condemned the “assassination” of a Hamas leader as a “heinous crime” and warned of a “dangerous escalation” in the region.
“Qatar welcomes the political leadership of Hamas, including Haniyeh, who is mediating ceasefire talks in the Gaza Strip. We believe the assassination “could plunge the region into chaos and jeopardize chances for peace,” a Qatari Foreign Ministry press release said.
Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas and Palestine Liberation Organization Secretary-General Hussein al-Sheikh condemned Haniyeh’s death.
Abbas, who rules parts of the occupied West Bank, “strongly condemned the assassination of the Hamas leader and considered it a cowardly act and a dangerous incident,” the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
In addition, “he called on the Palestinian people and forces to remain united, patient and firm in the face of Israeli occupation.” Sheikh described Haniyeh’s “murder” as a “cowardly act.” He emphasized on social media that “this forces us to remain more firm in the face of occupation.”
Close contact
Iran responded by saying that Haniyeh’s death would help strengthen relations between the country and the Palestinian people. Other countries have reacted to the death of the Hamas leader, with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov condemning it as an “unacceptable political assassination.”
Turkey condemned the “despicable murder” of Haniyeh, a close ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
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