ISRAEL: In a phone call with U.S. President Joe Biden, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Israel's killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has significantly hindered ceasefire efforts. Erdogan accused the Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of wanting the conflict in Gaza to escalate throughout the region.
According to Gaza's civil defense, an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced Palestinians resulted in at least 15 deaths. In Lebanon, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah announced that the conflict with Israel has entered a "new phase" following the deaths of Fuad Shukr, a Hezbollah commander, and Ismail Haniyeh, a leader of Hamas. Netanyahu declared that Israel is at a "very high level of readiness for any scenario."
Widespread condemnation followed the deaths of Ismail al-Ghoul and Rami al-Rifi, both journalists, in Gaza. The ongoing conflict has claimed the lives of at least 39,480 people, including 16,314 children, and left 91,128 wounded in Gaza. In contrast, 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, with over 200 individuals taken captive.
U.S. President Joe Biden expressed that the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh would not aid ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel. Speaking at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Biden mentioned that he had a direct conversation with Netanyahu regarding the attack.
Haniyeh was killed in his residence in Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday, in an attack widely attributed to Israel, though Israel has not officially claimed responsibility for the assassination.
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