Palestinians fear no end to bloodshed after assassination

Hours after Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran, anxious residents in Israeli-besieged Gaza voiced fear that his death would only prolong the war ravaging the Palestinian enclave.A framed photo of Haniyeh amidst the ruins of his Gaza home reminded Palestinians of the death and destruction brought on by a war now in its 10th month, with little hope for a truce as Hamas and Iran vow revenge against Israel for his killing."The world should now understand that Israel doesn't want a ceasefire or an end to the war," said Gaza resident Salah Abu Rezik.Haniyeh, who lived mainly in a Gulf state, was the tough-talking face of Hamas' international diplomacy as war raged back in Gaza, where three of his sons were killed in an Israeli airstrike on his home.Mediators have thus far failed to secure a ceasefire after many attempts."It is a very sad day. It is a big blow to us and it pains our hearts, a very sad morning," Salah Abu Rezik, a 63-year-old man from Gaza City, told Reuters via a chat app.Haniyeh had led the group since 2017.A recent Israeli airstrike targeted Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, who has survived at least seven assassination attempts. Some Gaza Palestinians said Haniyeh’s killing made the prospects for an end to the war even more remote.His assassination stoked jitters about a wider, more complex Middle East war as Lebanon's Hezbollah and Israel trade fire over their border and Houthi fighters in Yemen attack ships with links to Israel in the Red Sea and other waters."If Iran doesn't strike Israel, I can say it sold Haniyeh out," Gaza resident Rasha Ali, 40, said.Even those who did not support Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders shared fears of an uncontrollable escalation.Nadia, who gave only her first name, said, "Now I think there will never be a ceasefire in a very long time.”NEIGHBOURS SADDENEDFor two of Haniyeh’s former neighbours in Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, his death is also a personal loss.Residents of Gaza have watched Israel assassinate one Hamas leader after another since the group's founding in 1987 during the first Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank.Fatima al-Saati was sleeping when the news of Haniyeh's demise broke. She has not stopped crying since the Middle East woke up to what could be the biggest obstacle to peace since Hamas stormed Israel in the first week of October last year."What a loss. We lost one of our very own,” al-Saati said of Haniyeh. Another neighbour, Hachem al-Saati, said, "This news is scary. We feel that he was like a father to us.”