Israeli Heritage Minister's Reaction to Haniyeh's Death: 'The Right Way to Cleanse the World of This Filth'

"Amichai Eliyahu," the right-wing Minister of Heritage, is the first senior government official to react to the death of Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader in Tehran, stating in a post on X: "This is the right way to cleanse the world of this filth." According to "The Times of Israel," his remarks come despite reports from Hebrew media that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed his ministers to remain silent about the nighttime killing in the Iranian capital. Israel has not officially commented on Haniyeh's death. Eliyahu, a member of the far-right "Otzma Yehudit" party led by Itamar Ben Gvir, the Minister of National Security and a far-right politician, indicated that "Israel was behind this murder." In a post related to an article announcing Haniyeh's death, he wrote: "There is no longer any illusory 'peace'/surrender agreement, there is no longer any mercy for these children of death." He stated: "The iron hand that strikes them is the same hand that brings peace and a little comfort and strengthens our ability to live in peace with those who seek peace." He added: "Haniyeh's death makes the world a little better." After Iranian state media reported that Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was killed in Iran, the Israeli army told CNN that it "does not respond to foreign media reports." In a separate statement, Hamas announced that Haniyeh was killed during an attack they claim was carried out by Israel at his residence in Tehran after attending the swearing-in ceremony of the Iranian president. Haniyeh was one of the senior old leaders of this terrorist group, having joined Hamas in the late 1980s and advanced in its hierarchy over the decades. Images of Ismail Haniyeh embracing the new president during the swearing-in ceremony and entering the Islamic Republic's parliament for the ceremony were also shared. The U.S. supported Israel's approach in ceasefire negotiations regarding Gaza.