Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas over the release of hostages held by the Islamist group in the Gaza Strip have effectively frozen and will not resume before Iran launches its attack on Israel, Israeli officials with knowledge of the matter said.
The Times of Israel was told that talks will not resume until a replacement for Ismail Haniya, the political leader of Hamas who was assassinated on July 31 in Tehran, apparently by Israel, is named.
The Iranian attack could take place as early as this week, according to estimates. The new leader of the organization will also be known within days.
Nevertheless, the assassination of the Hamas leader makes matters much more complicated for the American, Egyptian and Qatari negotiators mediating between Hamas and Israel. In any case, Hamas appears to be in no rush to return to talks before Haniya’s replacement is named.
Of the approximately 240 hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, it is estimated that just over 100 remain hostages. The rest have been released or killed by Hamas and we know that their bodies have been returned to Israel.
A number of hostages are believed to be dead, but there is no clear evidence of this.
Among them is just five-year-old Ariel Bibas who was kidnapped with other members of his family from the Nir Oz kibbutz. Relatives celebrated his birthday on Monday while awaiting news of his fate, despite Hamas saying the child is no longer alive.
Iran summons the Islamic countries
Meanwhile, Iran is also moving in the diplomatic field.
He called an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation for Wednesday to discuss the assassination of Haniya and Tehran’s reaction. According to the Guardian, at the meeting Tehran will try to convince Arab nations to support it as it plans retaliation against Israel.
Iran and groups close to it, such as Hamas and Hezbollah, have blamed Israel for the July 31 assassination of Haniya in Tehran.
And yet, as the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said, Iran does not wish to escalate regional tensions, but believes it must punish Israel to prevent further instability.
“Iran seeks to establish stability in the region, but this will only be achieved by punishing the aggressor and creating a deterrent against the adventurism of the Zionist regime,” Nasser Kanani said, adding that Tehran’s action was inevitable.
He also called on the US to stop supporting Israel, saying the international community has failed in its duty to ensure stability in the region.
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