The killing of Hamas Polit Bureau Head Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31, apparently by a covert IED hidden two months ago and remotely detonated, does not portend well for peace in the region and Gaza.

Haniyeh was on top of the elimination list of Mossad and other agencies as Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to destroy Hamas in the wake of the October 7, 2023 attacks, which had an unprecedented success for Hamas—when not only nearly 1,200 Israelis were killed but 250 of them were taken hostage by Hamas. These hostages became the key going forward, as their release remains a priority for Bibi’s administration in Israel, due to months-long domestic protests by distraught families and friends.

The international community has been besieged with the fear that the Israel-Hamas War should not escalate beyond its immediate periphery. Half-baked efforts have been made by several countries including Qatar and China, to rein in the warring parties. Meanwhile, Hamas mustered moral and material support from Hezbollah (Lebanon, Syria) and Houthis (Yemen and the Red Sea), Kataib Hezbollah, and other Shia militias (Iraq) even as other non-state actors kept the escalation under the threshold, presumably with the alleged connivance of Iran.

On the other hand, Netanyahu continued to exploit the strategic weakness of his ironclad support from Washington. His last week’s oration and address to the US Congress and repeated standing ovations could only confirm that Palestinians were expendable. The financial assistance, weapons, and political support were once again assured to Bibi by Biden, Harris, and Trump, even as they........

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