3 Sons, 2 Grandchildren of Hamas Leader Killed in Israeli Airstrike on Car

The three sons – Hazem, Amir and Mohammad – were killed after the car they were driving in was bombed in Gaza’s Al-Shati camp, as reported by Hamas. Additionally, two of Haniyeh’s grandchildren were also killed in the attack and a third was wounded, according to Hamas media.

Haniyeh stated, “Our demands are clear and specific and we will not make concessions on them. The enemy will be delusional if it thinks that targeting my sons, at the climax of the negotiations and before the movement sends its response, will push Hamas to change its position.”

Haniyeh, who is based abroad in the Gulf Arab state of Qatar, added, “The blood of my sons is not dearer than the blood of our people.” Hamas said on Tuesday it was studying an Israeli ceasefire proposal but deemed it “intransigent” and stated that it did not meet any of the Palestinian demands.

In the seventh month of a war in which Israel’s air and ground offensive has devastated Gaza, Hamas seeks an end to Israeli military operations, a withdrawal from the enclave, and permission for displaced Palestinians to return home. Haniyeh’s eldest son confirmed in a Facebook post that his three brothers were killed, expressing gratitude to God for “honouring us by the martyrdom of my brothers, Hazem, Amir and Mohammad and their children.”

Haniyeh, appointed to the group’s top job in 2017, has been shuttling between Turkey and Qatar’s capital Doha, evading Israeli-imposed travel restrictions in blockaded Gaza. This has enabled him to act as a negotiator in the latest ceasefire negotiations, or communicate with Hamas’ main ally Iran.

Israel considers the entire Hamas leadership as terrorists and accuses Haniyeh and other leaders of continuing to “pull the strings of the Hamas terror organization.” The extent of Haniyeh’s knowledge about the Oct. 7 cross-border attack on Israel by Gaza-based operatives beforehand is not clear.

The attack plan, drawn up by the Hamas military council in Gaza, was such a closely guarded secret that some Hamas officials abroad seemed shocked by its timing and scale.