MUSCAT: The Sultanate of Oman has expressed its strong condemnation and denunciation of the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, Head of Hamas Movement's Political Bureau.
Oman considered the assassination, which took place in the Iranian capital city of Tehran, as a blatant violation of international and humanitarian law and a clear undermining of efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region.
In a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, Oman reiterated its firm stance in rejecting all forms of terrorism, regardless of its motives and causes, as well as rejecting the violation of the sovereignty of states.
Oman called on the international community to intervene urgently to punish the perpetrators of these crimes and political assassinations, besides taking immediate action to stop the Israeli aggression and the ongoing illegal occupation of Palestinian territories.
It also called for stopping the Israeli policy of killing, extremism and abuse practiced against the defenceless Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Oman expressed its heartfelt condolences to the family of Ismail Haniyeh and his companion, praying to the Almighty Allah to grant the Palestinian people and leadership patience.
Meanwhile, Qatar and Egypt, which have acted as mediators in ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, suggested on Wednesday that the killing of Haniyeh could jeopardise efforts to secure a truce in Gaza.
"Political assassinations and continued targeting of civilians in Gaza while talks continue leads us to ask, how can mediation succeed when one party assassinates the negotiator on the other side?" Qatari Prime Minister Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani wrote on X.
"Peace needs serious partners and a global stance against the disregard for human life."
Shaikh Mohammed, who is also foreign minister, later spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken over the phone and discussed continuing work towards a ceasefire.
Egypt's foreign ministry said in a statement that a "dangerous Israeli escalation policy" over the past two days had undermined efforts to broker an end to the fighting in Gaza.
"The coincidence of this regional escalation with the lack of progress in the ceasefire negotiations in Gaza increases the complexity of the situation and indicates the absence of Israeli political will to calm it down," the statement said.
"It undercuts the strenuous efforts made by Egypt and its partners to stop the war in the Gaza Strip and put an end to the human suffering of the Palestinian people," it added.
Qatar, Egypt and the United States have repeatedly tried to clinch a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, where Israeli forces have killed more than 39,000 Palestinians since October.
NO SIGN OF PROGRESS
A final deal to halt more than nine months of war has been complicated by changes sought by Israel, sources have said, and there was no sign of progress at the latest round of talks in Rome on Sunday.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant stressed the importance of continuing to work towards reaching a deal to release the remaining 115 Israeli and foreign captives in a phone call with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin on Wednesday. - Agencies
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