Condolences from Palestinian High Priest Yulia to Haniyeh
The Palestinian High Priest of the Catholic Church, Julius, made important statements following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. High Priest Julius said, “We express our condolences for our martyr Ismail Haniyeh. I pray to God for the eternal mercy of all our martyrs,” expressing his deep sorrow for the incident.
“We ask God Almighty to grant our people patience, consolation and more fortitude so that we can continue on our path until we see our desires come true,” said Julius, noting that “the pure blood of the martyrs builds the homeland.” With these words, he emphasized the resilience and faith of the Palestinian people.
The Chief Priest said, “Brother Haniyeh’s end is the fate of every person loyal to his people,” and added, “Every Palestinian could be the next candidate for martyrdom.” This situation brought to light the difficulties and struggles experienced by the Palestinian people.
Without forgetting the search for peace, Yulia called for peace by saying, “We pray for peace every day for Palestine, the land of peace, there can be no peace with occupation.”
Hamas Leader Haniyeh Assassination in Iran
Ismail Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the inauguration of the new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. On the morning of July 31, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that an attack was carried out on the residence where Haniyeh was staying. Both the Iranian government and the Hamas Movement held Israel responsible for the assassination, while Israeli officials refrained from making any statement regarding the incident.
Haniyeh was appointed as the head of Hamas’ Political Bureau by the Hamas Shura Council on May 6, 2017, replacing Khaled Meshaal. Hamas’ military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, said that Haniyeh’s assassination in Iran was “a significant and dangerous event that has taken the war to new dimensions that will have major repercussions throughout the region.”
Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced that they consider themselves responsible for the assassination of Haniyeh taking place on Iranian soil and that they consider it their duty to take revenge on Israel for Haniyeh’s death.
On the other hand, as a result of Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, a total of 39,445 Palestinians, including at least 16,172 children and 10,798 women, have lost their lives, and 91,073 people have been injured. These figures reveal how devastating the ongoing conflict is.
