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‘A Symbolic Achievement’: Haniyeh’s Death a Blow to Hamas, But Will Not Change Terror Group Significantly, Analysts Say
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh speaks during a press conference in Tehran, Iran, March 26, 2024. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
The assassination of exiled Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has sent shock waves through the Palestinian terrorist organization and the broader Middle East but, on its own, is unlikely to undermine the Islamist group’s stability in the long term, analysts say.
Haniyeh, who as the terror group’s political chief is known for his role in recent Gaza ceasefire negotiations, was killed in Tehran early Wednesday morning by the “Zionist entity,” according to both Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Hamas. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the assassination. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US was not involved in Haniyeh’s elimination, only commenting that pursuing an immediate ceasefire was “imperative.”
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said the terror group remained unfettered by Haniyeh’s death. “We are waging an open war to liberate Jerusalem and are ready to pay any price,” Abu Zuhri said. “Hamas is a concept and an institution and not persons. Hamas will continue on this path regardless of the sacrifices and we are confident of victory.”
Ibrahim Madhoun, an analyst closely affiliated with Hamas, underscored the terror group’s history of recovering from similar losses, having endured the assassinations of various political and military leaders in the past. It “came out of those scenarios stronger,” Madhoun told The New York Times.
Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror, a former national security adviser to the prime minister of Israel, said that Haniyeh’s assassination was mostly symbolic.
“Hanieyh will be replaced within 48 hours, maybe by [Moussa] Abu Marzouk, or Khaled Mashal,” Amidror said in a call with The Algemeiner and other outlets.
“It is a symbolic action to make clear to everyone that Israel is ready to act whenever they can,” he added. “It says something about the determination of Israel to get rid of its enemies.”
Hamas’ Gaza-based chief Yahya Sinwar was a “much more important” target, Amidror said, that would have far-reaching repercussions on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Maj. Gen. (ret.) Amos Yadlin, a former head of Israeli military intelligence, said Haniyeh’s assassination was a part of a plan to kill “all those who were involved in the Oct. 7 attack and the killing, burning, beheading, raping, of our citizens.”
Hamas launched the ongoing war with its invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, when the Palestinian terrorists murdered 1,200 people and kidnapped about 250 hostages to Gaza. Sinwar has been widely considered the mastermind of the attack.
Yadlin pointed out that the assassination occurred in Iran rather than Qatar, emphasizing that the choice was likely made to avoid jeopardizing ongoing hostage negotiations.
“Israel doesn’t want to open a new front with Doha,” he said, referring to Qatar’s role in mediating ongoing ceasefire negotiations. For years, Qatar has hosted senior Hamas leaders, including Haniyeh, who reportedly lived there in luxury.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei expressed outrage over Wednesday’s killing, vowing retaliation. In a statement released by the state-run IRNA news agency, Khamenei described the incident as a “martyrdom” inflicted by the “criminal and terrorist Zionist regime.” He vowed that Iran would impose a “harsh punishment” in response to the killing of Haniyeh, whom he referred to as a “beloved guest.”
Iran is the chief international sponsor of Hamas, providing the terror group with weapons, funding, and training. Haniyeh has traveled to Iran multiple times since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, including in May when he delivered a eulogy for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at a funeral.
The Hamas political chief was in Iran this week meeting with Khamenei and other top regime officials and participated on Tuesday in the inauguration ceremony of the new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Despite being more directly involved in Hamas’ political affairs than its military operations, Haniyeh was placed on the US State Department’s Specially Designated Global Terrorists list in 2018.
“Haniyeh has close links with Hamas’ military wing and has been a proponent of armed struggle, including against civilians,” the department said at the time while announcing his terror designation. “He has reportedly been involved in terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens. Hamas has been responsible for an estimated 17 American lives killed in terrorist attacks.”
Haniyeh’s killing occurred after Israel conducted an airstrike in Beirut, eliminating Fuad Shukr, whom it identified as the military commander of Hezbollah’s terrorist operations.
Yadlin said that Iran, and its proxy Hezbollah, would take time before responding, and said that the response would be measured because they were not interested in igniting a full-scale war. “I can see them trying to attack Israelis in the global arena, like embassies and tourists, as they have done in the past,” he said.
Mohammad Dahlan, former senior official from the Palestinian Authority’s ruling Fatah movement and PA President Mahmoud Abbas’ main rival, condemned the “cowardly” assassination of Haniyeh, who he called a “great national leader.”
According to Amidror, Israel had more than a year to complete its campaign of destroying Hamas in Gaza. Another three months of intense conflict were required to eliminate the remaining battalions, primarily based in Rafah, he said, followed by a year of operations to “clean up” the remnants of the terror group in the rest of Gaza. This would involve routine raids into the Palestinian enclave, similar to those conducted in the West Bank during the Second Intifada.
“We’re at the end of the beginning,” he said.
The post ‘A Symbolic Achievement’: Haniyeh’s Death a Blow to Hamas, But Will Not Change Terror Group Significantly, Analysts Say first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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US-backed Gaza Relief NGO Vows ‘Legal Action’ Against AP Claim Group Fired on Palestinian Civilians
Palestinians collect aid supplies from the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 9, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US-backed nonprofit operating aid distribution centers in the Gaza Strip, is pushing back forcefully against an Associated Press report alleging that its contractors opened fire on Palestinian civilians.
The GHF is accusing the AP of withholding key evidence and relying on a “disgruntled former contractor” as a central source.
“In response, we are pursuing legal action,” the organization said in a statement released Wednesday.
GHF said it conducted an “immediate investigation” after being contacted by the AP, reviewing time-stamped video footage and sworn witness testimony. The group concluded that the allegations were “categorically false,” stating that no civilians were fired upon at any of their distribution sites and that the gunfire heard in the AP’s video came from Israeli forces operating outside the vicinity.
“What is most troubling is that the AP refused to share the full video with us prior to publication, despite the seriousness of the allegations,” the statement read. “If they believed their own reporting, they should have provided us with the footage so we could take immediate and appropriate action.”
The nonprofit’s public rebuttal raises sharp questions about the AP’s reporting process, suggesting the outlet declined to engage with the organization in good faith and instead leaned on a source GHF describes as having been terminated “for misconduct” weeks prior. The group also claimed the AP’s recent coverage of its activities had begun to “echo narratives advanced by the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health.”
The AP has not yet responded publicly to the GHF’s accusations or provided clarification about its decision not to share the video footage before publication. The original report alleged that American contractors employed by GHF had fired weapons near or toward civilians.
The GHF statement confirmed that a contractor seen shouting in the AP’s video had been removed from operations, though the group insisted this was unrelated to any violence and did not constitute evidence of wrongdoing.
GHF, which describes its mission as delivering food to Gaza “safely, directly, and without interference,” said it remains committed to transparency but would not allow its operations to be “derailed by misinformation.”
The dispute highlights the fraught information environment in Gaza, where limited access and competing narratives frequently complicate the verification of on-the-ground events.
The post US-backed Gaza Relief NGO Vows ‘Legal Action’ Against AP Claim Group Fired on Palestinian Civilians first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Shock Poll: Most Jews Approve of Trump’s Job Performance, Strike on Iran
US President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, Feb. 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
A new Siena Research poll finds that a majority of Jewish voters in New York approve of President Donald Trump’s job performance and his handling of the Israel-Iran war.
The survey found that a majority of Jewish respondents, 57 percent, approve of the job Trump is doing in his second term as president, compared to 42 percent who disapprove.
Even more striking, 64 percent of Jewish voters say they approve of Trump’s handling of the Israel-Iran conflict, signaling strong alignment with his foreign policy stance in a community that has historically leaned Democratic in national elections.
The poll results highlight a notable political shift in one of the most reliably liberal constituencies in the country. In 2020, Trump won only about 30 percent of the Jewish vote nationally, and similar trends held in New York. But since his return to office in the 2024 election, a victory that itself stunned many observers, Trump has emphasized an aggressive pro-Israel posture, including increased military aid and unwavering rhetorical support during Israel’s war with Iran and Hezbollah.
The Israel-Iran war, which erupted earlier this year following escalating attacks between Israel and Iran, and Tehran’s deepening involvement with proxy forces in Lebanon and Syria, has become a key flashpoint in international politics and a central issue for American Jews. Trump has repeatedly vowed to back Israel “without hesitation,” and his administration has taken steps to provide military resupply, expand intelligence sharing, and block UN resolutions critical of Israeli operations.
In response, his approval ratings among Jewish voters, particularly Orthodox and pro-Israel segments, appear to have climbed sharply.
“This marks a significant departure from previous voting patterns,” said Lauren Saperstein, a political scientist at NYU focused on Jewish American voting behavior. “Trump has successfully tapped into security concerns, especially in light of the Iran threat, and that’s resonating with voters who may have disagreed with him on other issues in the past.”
Past data has suggested Orthodox Jewish voters tend to favor Republican candidates more heavily, while Reform and secular Jews lean Democratic. The new 57 percent approval figure indicates broader support than Trump has previously received from the Jewish electorate in New York.
Democrats, for their part, have struggled to maintain a cohesive stance on the Israel-Iran conflict. Many Democrats criticized Trump for deciding to strike at Tehran’s nuclear facilities, arguing that the president unnecessarily risked causing a broader regional war. Within the Democratic Party, divisions over Israel policy have widened, with younger progressives more likely to criticize the war and push for conditions on US aid to its longtime ally.
The poll results could have significant implications for upcoming congressional races in New York, where Jewish voters represent a sizable and politically active bloc. Several House districts in Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island could be influenced by the shift in sentiment, particularly if Democrats are seen as divided or insufficiently supportive of Israel.
As the conflict in the Middle East continues, Trump appears to be benefiting from his strong messaging in favor of Israel and against antisemitism.
The post Shock Poll: Most Jews Approve of Trump’s Job Performance, Strike on Iran first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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The Anti-Israel Mob Never Mentions Women’s Rights in Israel — Compared to the Middle East
Paris 2024 Olympics – Judo – Women -78 kg Victory Ceremony – Champ-de-Mars Arena, Paris, France – August 01, 2024. Silver medallist Inbar Lanir of Israel celebrates. Photo: REUTERS/Arlette Bashizi
In parts of the Middle East, women still live in deeply patriarchal, often brutal systems. Changes exist more on paper than in practice. Power remains in the hands of men, religious systems, and political elites — and this repressive treatment often goes unchallenged.
This happens in places like Gaza under Hamas, in Afghanistan under the Taliban, in Iran under the ayatollahs, and even in Saudi Arabia, where “reforms” like women driving made headlines in 2018.
Let’s be clear: not every Muslim-majority country treats women this way. In places like Jordan, Egypt, and Turkey, many women work, study, and participate in public life. But even there, legal protections and personal freedoms often lag behind. And in the four examples mentioned — Gaza, Iran, Afghanistan, and Saudi Arabia — women face severe, institutionalized oppression. These are not fringe cases; they reflect the governing ideologies of millions.
Now contrast that with Israel.
In Israel, the only liberal democracy in the region, both Jewish and Arab women live with rights and freedoms unheard of in most of the Middle East.
In Israel, women:
- Vote and run for office
- Serve as Supreme Court judges, ministers, professors, doctors, and CEOs
- Join the military, even in combat roles
- Protest publicly without fear of being shot or jailed
- Choose how to dress, where to work, whom to marry, and what to believe
- File police reports and expect legal protection
Women in Israel are not just present, they lead. They command battalions, fly fighter jets, debate in the Knesset, run start-ups, and shape policy. Gender equality is not perfect — no country is — but legally, all women are fully protected.
And this is the part that’s almost never said: Arab women in Israel also enjoy more rights than in any Arab country. They study in top universities, vote freely, become doctors, lawyers, and leaders. Yes, some face traditional cultural pressures in their communities, but under Israeli law, they are citizens with equal rights, and legal recourse when those rights are violated.
Can the same be said for women in Gaza, ruled by Hamas? For women under the Taliban in Afghanistan? Or for the brave Iranian women imprisoned for removing their headscarves?
If you are a self-respecting feminist in the West, this should be a moral line: Israel is the only place in the Middle East where women are truly free. In Tel Aviv, if a woman is raped, she can go to the police. She’ll be heard, investigated, supported.
In Tehran, she might be blamed. In Riyadh, she could be imprisoned. In Kabul, she might be killed. In Gaza, she might be forced to marry her rapist.
So ask yourself: if you support women’s rights, why are you aligning with regimes or movements that strip women of their humanity?
Something is deeply broken when women in free societies chant slogans for groups that would silence, veil, and imprison them. When feminists march with Palestinian flags, are they aware that under Hamas, there is no LGBTQ+ freedom, no feminist activism, no legal protections for women?
You don’t have to support every policy of the Israeli government to recognize this truth: Israel is the only country in the Middle East where a woman can live as a full, free citizen.
Western feminists need to wake up. When you champion groups like Hamas or regimes like Iran “for the cause,” you are betraying the very values you claim to fight for.
Until that realization comes, I ask just one thing: If you truly care about women, why on earth are you standing against Israel?
Sabine Sterk is the CEO of Time To Stand Up For Israel.
The post The Anti-Israel Mob Never Mentions Women’s Rights in Israel — Compared to the Middle East first appeared on Algemeiner.com.