Hamas Leader’s Sons & Grandchildren Killed in Single Israeli Airstrike
The leader of Hamas has had much of his family wiped out in a new Israeli airstrike. Hamas has confirmed that its leader, Ismail Haniyeh, received word that three of his sons and grandchildren were killed in an Israeli assault Wednesday.
International reports say a drone strike targeted a car that his three sons, Hazem, Amir and Mohammed, were driving in. There were traveling with other family members in the car through a refugee camp northwest of Gaza City.
While one young girl reportedly survived the strike, three of Haniyeh’s grandchildren did not. The group was reportedly traveling within Gaza to attend an Eid al-Fitr holiday celebration with relatives.
“All our people and all the families of Gaza’s residents have paid a heavy price with the blood of their children, and I am one of them,” Haniyeh said in a statement to Al Jazeera soon after learning of their deaths.
“Through the blood of the martyrs and the pain of the wounded, we create hope, we create the future, we create independence and freedom for our people and our nation,” he added.
This has resulted in some speculation or expectation that ongoing truce talks could be called off on Haniyeh’s order; however, he has sought to personally assure that his family members’ deaths will not impact ceasefire negotiations.
The Israeli side appears to have confirmed that the car was targeted in a drone strike, in the following somewhat strange or unexpected statement:
Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari says fighter jets attacked “three military operatives” in central Gaza, referring to a car carrying Haniyeh’s children, who were killed earlier today.
He identified the three as Amir, Hazem and Mohammad Haniyeh.
The Israeli army “confirms” that they are “the children of Ismail Haniyeh”, Hagari said.
Thus it’s clear that Israel had categorized the Hamas political chief’s sons as “militants” in the organization. They were all adults. It remains unclear whether the IDF is categorizing the young grandchildren in the same way.
Astoundingly, Haniyeh has already lost literally dozens of family members since the war which began with the Hamas terror attack of Oct.7 “Sixty of his relatives have been killed in the six-month-old war, he said, including 14 who died after an Israeli airstrike hit the family home in Gaza City in October.”
🚨🇵🇸🇹🇷BREAKING: ERDOGAN CALLED HAMAS LEADER TO OFFER CONDOLENCES
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) April 10, 2024
“The Mujahid brother Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political bureau of the Hamas movement, received a phone call from His Excellency Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, where he offered condolences on the… https://t.co/K4TbOF1CgV pic.twitter.com/gmGgs5xygj
Israel’s military and intelligence have previously vowed to hunt down all of Hamas’ leadership – even those who have found safe-haven in other countries abroad. Meanwhile, the Qatar-based negotiations are still said to be deadlocked.
