Ismail Haniyeh, a senior Hamas head, had three sons and three grandkids in an Israeli strike in Gaza on Wednesday, according to the family.
Haniyeh, 62, confirmed the deaths Wednesday in an appointment with Al Jazeera, saying his brothers — Hazem, Amir and Mohammad Haniyeh — “were martyred on the road to free Jerusalem and the Al- Aqsa Mosque”.
On the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid as Fitr, Haniyeh’s children and grandchildren were driving through Gaza’s Shati migrant camp to visit relatives when a missile struck the vehicle.
Haniyeh’s eldest brother, who was uninjured, commented on the murders of his sons, nieces and nephews in a Twitter post.
” Thanks to God who honored us by the death of my boys, Hazem, Amir and Mohammad and their children”, wrote Abdel- Salam Haniyeh.
The Jewish government confirmed carrying out the attack Wednesday, saying Haniyeh’s children were all employees of Hamas ‘ military aircraft, the al- Qassam Brigades.
It did not comment on any other deaths.
In a phone interview with Al Jazeera, Haniyeh, who lives in exile in Qatar and is based there, said,” The fugitive army is driven by the nature of retaliation and crime and does not meaning any standards or rules.”
In the course of the ongoing cease-fire negotiations with Israel, the Palestinian politician argued that the deaths of six of his family members had never compel Hamas to make concessions regarding their” clear and precise demands.”
The enemy may become insane if it believes that Hamas will change its position if it starts to attack my children at the finale of the negotiations and before the motion sends its response, according to a rebel Haniyeh.
” The heart of my children is no dearer than the body of our people”, he added.
Appointed to Hamas ‘ leading political post in 2017, Haniyeh left Gaza in 2019 and has moved between Turkey and Qatar, acting as the extremist group’s general diplomat and difficult- talking negotiator.
Yehya Sinwar, who was the top Hamas leader in Gaza, was responsible for the attack on Israel on October 7 that set the outbreak, which is now in its seventh month.
With Post wires
