Ismail's assassination not helpful for Gaza ceasefire - Biden

US President Joe Biden said the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has not helped efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

“It has not helped,” the US president told reporters late Thursday, when asked if Ismail’s assassination ruined the chances for the truce agreement, Anadolu Agency reported.

Biden (above) also said he had a “very direct” conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We have the basis for a ceasefire. He should move on it, and they should move on it now,” he added.

Israel has continued its air and ground attacks on Gaza since Oct 7, 2023, killing nearly 40,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, levelled the territory and left most of the people hungry and homeless.

Ismail was assassinated during a visit to the Iranian capital of Tehran on Wednesday. Israel has not commented on his death directly.

The assassination came a day after Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukr was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburb.

Talks for a ceasefire and hostage exchange, which continue through mediators the US, Qatar and Egypt, appear to have stalled after the attacks in Beirut and Tehran.

- Bernama

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