Quotes
Was an additional factor – in Netanyahu’s mind – that killing Haniyeh would then kill ceasefire talks and thereby prolong the conflict and with it Netanyahu’s political life? It is an extremely cynical calculation, but one that we can’t disregard because that has been [Netanyahu’s] behaviour to date,
In light of October 7 and the failure of the army and security services, Israeli security wanted to show they have recovered, and I think they did prove that. The assassinations serve Netanyahu from one angle and it serves the security establishment from another,
I think in Israeli society, there is this moment where they can say that despite all the naysayers and concern [about the Gaza war], that they managed now to strike Hamas and are now making real progress by also taking out Hezbollah people,
Israelis – including families of the hostages – are basically not against these assassinations morally, but may soon fear that it risks the safety of the hostages,
It’s like Israelis have schizophrenia,
We’re in this very uncomfortable position again, of waiting for men who don’t have a track record of necessarily making decisions that support peace, to try and calibrate their response in a way that they think will shore up their military position without letting things or forcing things to escalate further,
the Guardian’s senior international affairs correspondent, Emma Graham-Harrison, tells Michael Safi It will take time, as it took after the massacre in Munich, but our hands will catch them wherever they are,
Barnea said, referring to the killing of Israeli athletes by terrorists at the 1972 Olympics We are preparing for an attack on five fronts at any moment.
An Israeli official said last night Haniyeh presented a pragmatic face to the mediators but internally inside Hamas led a hard line,
Israel is highly prepared for any scenario, both defensively and offensively,
Netanyahu said in a video released by his office during a visit to a Home Front Command base We will exact a very heavy price for any act of aggression against us from any arena,
It certainly and completely depends on the perceptions of who you talk to. Obviously, the Israelis and the U.S. consider all of Hamas, including its leadership as extremist, they consider the organization a terrorist organization. And many of them are not willing to enter into a conversation about 'is this person more moderate than the other?'
Yahya Sinwar is the commander... and he is a dead man."
He is the main figure that Israel holds responsible for October 7, with Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari saying at the time Within Hamas Haniyeh had a certain position, but within this organization which is not a moderate one."
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was a moderate because he gave Israel the option of peacefully dissolving itself, opening its borders to millions of hostile immigrants, changing its name to Palestine, incorporating Hamas's military into the state's army, and accepting Islamic law."
Israeli journalist Daniel Rubenstein wrote If Ismail Haniyeh was 'moderate and pragmatic' as every media outlet claims, that means his open Jew-hate and repeated calls for the violent destruction of Israel are a 'moderate and pragmatic' position to hold. And what does that tell us about the status of Jews today."
Dave Rich, an author who writes books about antisemitism, said He's a hard-liner, no doubt, but he's a politician so he's a good negotiator and he's more pragmatic,
What is a 'very moderate leader' of an Islamist jihadist death cult that perpetrated the deadliest terror attack since 9/11 on October 7? Alex Crawford, what on earth are you talking about?"
Sharing a clip of Sky News' coverage on X, he wrote He was also considered a very moderate leader for Hamas."
Indeed, when Sky News broke the story on TV, Special Correspondent Alex Crawford said It is too soon to tell what the impact of his death will have on negotiations (for a ceasefire deal in Gaza), and so I'm not going to speculate on that, especially in light of the broader dynamics and set of events unfolding in the region right now,
