Talks and negotiations are all very well in an effort to find the mythical middle ground between Israel and Hamas, but when both sides hate each other with such a passion, it tends to boil down to one thing: who will kill the other one first.
At least in part, Israel will feel it answered that at the end of July 2024, with the "targeted assassination" of the Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, as he attended the swearing-in ceremony of Iran's new president.
When Israel launched its devastating air and ground war on Gaza following the 7 October atrocities, it also resumed its controversial policy of killing Palestinian leaders.
As usual, Israel has not claimed responsibility for the assassination of Haniyeh in Tehran, but Hamas said he had been killed in "a treacherous Zionist raid on his residence".
Sending a message
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it very clear from the beginning that his security forces would target Hamas leaders wherever they are.
The message behind today’s killing of Haniyeh and yesterday’s killing of Hezbollah’s senior commander Fuad Shukr (if confirmed) is crystal clear: that it can reach. Even if that means reaching right into the heart of the Iranian capital.
Israeli joy could not be disguised. Minister for the Diaspora Amichai Chikli posted to Twitter/X a video of Haniyeh sat in the Iranian parliament, while MPs chanted “Death to Israel”, with Chikli adding: "Be careful what you wish for."
Hamas senior official Moussa Abu Marzouk called the killing of Haniyeh a "cowardly act that will not go unpunished".
A knife attack against an Israeli man in his 50s was reported in the occupied West Bank just a few hours after the killing of Haniyeh.
Taking tough decisions
Speaking to Al Majalla in May, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak said he had “no regret” in killing Palestinian leaders, in reference to his time as a special forces commander operating against Palestinian militants in Beirut and Tunis.
“A war between two states, or sometimes a state and a national movement, becomes complicated, especially when it turns to terror," he said. "Some tough decisions must be taken and thought over carefully."
He added: “I never look backwards. We have a responsibility to protect and defend our people. So, the major consideration should be: to what extent the target is what we call 'a ticking time bomb', meaning that if you leave it, it could possibly cause much more damage.”
Disguised as a brunette (a dark-haired woman), Barak went to Beirut in 1973 with other Israeli commandos (some also disguised as women) to carry out a daring operation against PLO operations chief, Kamal Adwan.
And in 1988 in Tunis, he co-supervised the assassination of Fatah co-founder Khalil Al Wazir (known as Abu Jihad), a deputy of Yasser Arafat. Decades later, Israel admitted its responsibility for the killing.
From Yassin to Arouri
Few were surprised when Israel's long tradition continued into Gaza after the 7 October 2023 attack.
On 2 January 2024, Israel assassinated Saleh Al-Arouri, Hamas's deputy head and leader in the occupied West Bank, after a drone targeted a Hamas office in Beirut. Al-Arouri was an important Hamas link with Hezbollah and Iran.
By killing the leaders, Israel aims to eradicate the military competency (and other skills) available to Hamas, creating a vacuum in which it is difficult to find a replacement, given that years of training and practical experience are needed. In short, Israel is targeting the executive and administrative brains of the movement.
The list of military and political leaders assassinated by Israel is long. Among the most notable was Ahmed Yassin, the founder and spiritual leader of Hamas.
The killing of Haniyeh will give a ratings boost to Netanyahu. Until now, he has been able to claim no major Hamas scalp. Domestically, Israel's restive far-right should be mollified, at least for now.
Facing corruption charges and protests against his rule, Netanyahu was desperate for a 'win', something to restore his prestige and image. Haniyeh's killing will help.
Yet Yehiha Al-Sinwar, Netanyahu's arch-enemy and the man who pulls the strings in Gaza, and Mohammed Deif, Hamas's most senior military commander, have still not been found. Netanyahu's job is far from done.
