CNN —The assassination of the political leader of Hamas has plunged the Middle East into fresh crisis and dented already slim hopes of an end to the war between Israel and the militant group that rules Gaza anytime soon. Here’s what the killing of the Hamas and Hezbollah leaders means for the Gaza war and the region. “Netanyahu has systematically sabotaged ceasefire talks because ending the war will likely end his political career,” said Trita Parsi of the Quincy Institute, a US-based foreign policy think tank, in a post on X. A faltered negotiation process also extends the risk to the lives of the remaining hostages in Gaza. “This is the time for a deal.”There are 111 hostages still in Gaza, including 39 believed to be dead, according to data from Netanyahu’s office.

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Persons: Israel, Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, ”, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Benjamin Netanyahu, –, “ Netanyahu, “, Netanyahu, Jalaa Marey, Gershon Baskin, Baskin, ” Baskin, Gaza’s, Anwar, Antony Blinken, Biden, ” Hellyer, CNN’s Becky Anderson Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Quincy Institute, Palestinian, Getty, Families, Anwar Amro, Hellyer, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Royal United Services Institute for Defense, Security Studies, Israel Locations: Israel, Gaza, Tehran, Iran, Beirut, Golan, Qatar, Egypt, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al, Thani, Doha, US, Karmiel, AFP, Beirut's, United States, London