Palestinians fear no end to Gaza bloodshed after Haniyeh assassination

Hours after Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh had been assassinated in Iran, anxious residents in Israeli-besieged Gaza voiced fear that his death would only prolong the war ravaging the Palestinian enclave.

"The world should now understand that Israel doesn't want a ceasefire or an end to the war," said Gaza resident Salah Abu Rezik on Wednesday.

Haniyeh, who lived mainly in the Gulf Arab state of Qatar, was the tough-talking face of Hamas' international diplomacy as war raged back in Gaza, where three of his sons were killed in an Israeli air strike on his home.

Mediators from Egypt, US and Qatar have thus far failed to secure a ceasefire after many attempts.

"It is a very sad day. It is a big blow to us and it pains our hearts, a very sad morning," Salah Abu Rezik, a 63-year-old man from Gaza City, told Reuters via a chat app.

Some Palestinians said Haniyeh’s killing made the prospects for an end to the war even more remote.

"Now I think there will never be a ceasefire in a very long time," Nadia, who gave only her first name, said.

His assassination stoked jitters about a wider, more complex Middle East war as Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel trade fire over their border and Houthis in Yemen attack ships with links to Israel in the Red Sea and other waters.

"If Iran doesn't strike Israel, I can say it sold Haniyeh out," Gaza resident Rasha Ali, 40, said.

Biggest obstacle to peace

Haniyeh had led the Palestinian resistance group Hamas since 2017.

For two of Haniyeh’s former neighbours in Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, his death is also a personal loss.

Fatima Al Saati was sleeping when the news of Haniyeh's demise broke. She has not stopped crying since the Middle East woke up to what could be the biggest obstacle to peace.

“What a loss. We lost one of our very own,” Al Saati said of Haniyeh. Another neighbour, Hachem Al-Saati, said, “This news is scary. We feel that he was like a father to us.”

Residents of Gaza have watched Israel assassinate one Hamas leader after another since the group's founding in 1987 during the first Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to destroy the group, which has governed Gaza since 2007 after Israel withdrew settlers and ground forces.