Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas, lost three sons to an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, according to Haniyeh’s family and the Palestinian Islamist organization.
The three sons were identified by the Israeli military as members of the Hamas armed wing, and they confirmed that the attack was carried out.
Based in Qatar, Haniyeh has served as the tough-talking spokesperson for Hamas in international diplomacy while the conflict with Israel rages in Gaza, the same region where an Israeli airstrike back in November destroyed his family’s home.
The automobile the three sons, Hazem, Amir, and Muhammad, were driving in in Gaza’s Al-Shati camp was bombed, resulting in their deaths, according to Hamas. According to Hamas propaganda, three of Haniyeh’s grandkids also perished in the strike, while a third was injured.
The Israeli military statement did not comment on any other casualties in the airstrike.
Haniyeh, 61, told pan-Arab Al Jazeera Channel, “The blood of my boys is not dearer than the blood of our people.” Hamas sources claim that Haniyeh has 13 sons and girls.
According to family, the three sons and three grandkids were spending the first day of the Muslim Eid al-Fitr festival in Shati, their home refugee camp in Gaza City.
In the more than six-month-old Gaza conflict, Hamas announced on Tuesday that it was examining an Israeli ceasefire proposal, but that it was “intransigent” and did not satisfy any of the Palestinian demands.
Our expectations are precise and unambiguous, and we won’t compromise on them. If the enemy believes that it can attack my sons at the end of the negotiations, it is insane and before the movement sends its response, will push Hamas to change its position,” Haniyeh said.
In the midst of a seven-month conflict that has seen Israel’s air and ground assault decimate Gaza, Hamas demands an end to Israeli military activity, an evacuation from the territory, and the ability of Palestinians who have been internally displaced to return home.
The oldest son of Haniyeh verified his three siblings’ deaths on Facebook. Abdel-Salam Haniyeh wrote, “Thanks to God who honored us by the martyrdom of my brothers, Hazem, Amir, and Mohammed and their children.”
Since being appointed to the top position within the militant group in 2017, Haniyeh has traveled back and forth between Turkey and Doha, the capital of Qatar, to avoid being restricted from leaving blockaded Gaza. This has allowed him to participate in the most recent ceasefire negotiations and maintain contact with Iran, Hamas’ principal ally.
Israel accuses Haniyeh and other Hamas officials of continuing to “twist the strings of the Hamas terror organization” and views the whole Hamas leadership as terrorists.
But, it’s unclear how much Haniyeh was aware of the terrorists based in Gaza’s Oct. 7 cross-border strike on Israel in advance. The attack plan was formulated by the Hamas military council in Gaza, and was kept so secret that its timing and scope appeared surprising to some Hamas officials overseas.
(Reuters)
