Palestinian ambassador to Russia accuses Israel of killing Hamas leader

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - The Palestinian ambassador to Russia on Wednesday accused Israel of the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

"What happened is a great tragedy, and we hold Israel responsible," Abdel Hafiz Nofal stated in an interview with Russian state news agency TASS.

Nofal mentioned that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had spoken with Hamas leadership following Haniyeh's death and called for Palestinian unity. "President Abbas declared a period of mourning; all schools and universities will be closed. This underscores the unity of the Palestinian people," he added.

He also noted that Abbas will send two senior representatives to attend Haniyeh's funeral.

When asked about the potential impact of Haniyeh's assassination on Hamas' negotiations with Israel regarding a cease-fire in Gaza, Nofal declined to speculate.

"Currently, the focus is on investigating Haniyeh's murder. We do not know why (Israeli) Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu launched this attack after returning from the U.S. Maybe he seeks to provoke Iran into the conflict or garner American support against Iran. There were simultaneous attacks in both Beirut and Tehran," Nofal observed.

Regarding possible responses from Iran and Hezbollah, Nofal said: "Hezbollah and Iran will have to speak for themselves about their willingness to join the conflict in Gaza following Haniyeh's assassination. This situation is extremely serious, and we don't understand why Israel carried out this action. They continue to kill people in the Gaza Strip daily. It's a significant catastrophe."

Nofal emphasized that Palestine maintains daily communication with the Russian Federation regarding the Middle East situation and expressed appreciation for Moscow's stance. He recalled that the Russian Foreign Ministry promptly condemned the attacks in Lebanon and Iran, saying: "We highly value Russia's position."

Lastly, Nofal assured that Palestinian diplomats feel safe in Moscow and that security measures have not been heightened following the assassination of Haniyeh.

Early Wednesday, Hamas announced that Haniyeh was killed in an Israeli airstrike on his residence in Tehran. Iranian state television confirmed his death, saying an investigation is underway and that the findings will be released soon.

Israel has yet to make an official statement regarding the airstrike on Haniyeh's residence in Tehran.