BERLIN
Germany on Wednesday urged immediate de-escalation in the aftermath of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination.
“It must now be a matter of keeping a cool head and doing everything possible to de-escalate, and the chance of a hostage agreement and a cease-fire in Gaza must not be squandered now,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer said at a press briefing in Berlin.
More diplomatic efforts are now needed to secure a cease-fire for the people in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages, he added.
Hamas announced early Wednesday that Haniyeh was killed in an Israeli airstrike on his residence in the Iranian capital Tehran.
The Iranian state television also reported Haniyeh’s death, noting that an investigation into the assassination is ongoing and that the findings will be announced soon.
Israel has made no immediate announcement about the assassination.
