China Responds to Israel 'Act of Assassination' on Hamas Leader

China has responded to the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, denouncing it as an "act of assassination."

Hamas said that Haniyeh was killed Wednesday in an Israeli raid on his residence in Tehran, a day after attending Iran's new President Masoud Pezeshkian's inauguration.

"We are closely following the incident. China firmly opposes and condemns the act of assassination and is deeply concerned that the incident may plunge the region into greater turmoil," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said during Wednesday's press conference.

Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack, with the Israeli Defense Forces telling a Newsweek reporter, "We do not comment on those reports."

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted at involvement in an address shared by local media.

"From the beginning of the war, I made it clear that we are fighting against the Iranian axis of evil," Netanyahu said, referring to Iran-backed Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. "In the past few days, we have dealt a crushing blow to each of them," he added.

Lin emphasized Beijing's preference for conflict resolution through dialogue.

"China has been calling for settling regional disputes through negotiation and dialogue and an early, comprehensive, and permanent ceasefire in Gaza," he added.

China positions itself as a peace broker in the Middle East, aiming to erode U.S. influence there.

China played a pivotal role in Iran and Saudi Arabia's resumption of diplomatic ties last year. This week, the Chinese hosted talks among Palestinian factions, including Hamas and its decades-old West-Bank-based rival Fatah, that led to an agreement on an eventually unified Palestinian government.

Since October, Beijing has dispatched its special envoy, Zhai Jun, to capitals around the region as it pushes for a ceasefire in Gaza. Notably, he has yet to visit Israel.

However, Israeli-Chinese ties have strained since Hamas' October 7 attacks on Israeli communities that left over 1,000 people dead. China has not condemned the attacks but has criticized Israel's bombardment of Gaza.

"China has yet to publicly condemn Hamas, instead welcoming them in Beijing. Now they condemn the killing of the man who took pride in the Oct 7th massacre," Tuvia Gering, a researcher at Tel Aviv University in Israel, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) Wednesday.

Wednesday's assassination further inflamed a conflict spreading beyond Israel and Gaza over the past nine months.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed "harsh punishment" for Israel.

Tensions between Iran and Israel have soared in recent months, prompting fears of open war between the bitter foes. In April, Iran and its proxies launched rocket attacks against the Israelis in retaliation for an airstrike in Damascus that killed a top Iranian general.

Haniyeh's death came a day after Israel claimed responsibility for killing senior Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukr in Beirut, following a deadly attack in the Golan Heights blamed on Hezbollah.

The Chinese and Israeli foreign ministries did not immediately respond to written requests for comment.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.