Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh has claimed that an Israeli airstrike killed his three sons in Gaza on Wednesday. In a separate announcement, the Israeli military said that “three Hamas operatives” were killed and confirmed that they were all sons of the “chairman of Hamas’ political bureau” .
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Haniyeh confirmed the deaths of his sons Hazem, Amir, and Mohammad. He said that his grandchildren were also killed in the strike.
“Through the blood of the martyrs and the pain of the injured, we create hope, we create the future, we create independence and freedom for our people and our nation,” the Hamas leader was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera.
He claimed that around 60 members of his family, including nieces and nephews, were killed since the start of the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
“There is no doubt that this criminal enemy is driven by the spirit of revenge and the spirit of murder and bloodshed, and it does not observe any standards or laws,” Haniyeh said. “We’ve seen it violate everything on the land of Gaza. There is a war of ethnic cleansing and genocide. There is mass displacement.”
The Israel-Hamas war, which has devastated Gaza, began on October 7, 2023, as Hamas fired thousands and thousands of rockets without any warning at civilian settlements in southern Israel. Hamas militants also infiltrated Israeli settlements, invaded homes, gunned down Israeli civilians, including children, and took hundreds of hostages. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately declared a state of war.
A little over six months after the war broke out, Hamas continues to hold more than 100 people taken hostage from Israel. According to Newsweek, the Israeli military said a few days ago that 134 hostages, including 11 foreign nationals, were still being held hostage by Hamas, with 123 hostages released.
Netanyahu has ruled out a ceasefire until and unless all the hostages taken by Hamas are set free.
Israel Defense Forces confirms killing of Haniyeh’s sons
The Israeli military posted close to midnight on April 10, on the social network X: “IAF aircraft struck Amir Haniyeh, a cell commander in the Hamas military wing, and Mohammad and Hazem Haniyeh, both Hamas military operatives, in central Gaza today.”
“The IDF confirms that the 3 operatives are the sons of Ismail Haniyeh, the chairman of Hamas’ political bureau,” the Israeli post said.
Who is Ismail Haniyeh?
Haniyeh is a Palestinian politician who is seen as the overall political leader of Hamas. He is the current chairman of Hamas’s political bureau, and is based in the Gulf state of Qatar.
The ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel completed six months on April 7. During the first wave of the attack on October 7, Hamas reportedly killed 1,200 people in southern Israel. The attack triggered the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, which has resulted in a vast number of deaths in Gaza.