"Were fighters"

Sons and grandsons of Hamas chief killed in attack

Hamas foreign leader Ismail Haniyeh(Bild: APA/AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Six relatives of Hamas foreign leader Ismail Haniyeh were killed in an Israeli attack in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday (see video above). They were hit in a vehicle in a refugee camp in the north, Hamas announced. Haniyeh has been Chairman of the Political Bureau since 2017.

This is considered the highest decision-making body and has 15 members. Haniyeh has been living in Qatar with part of his family for years. The fact that three sons and grandchildren have now been killed in an Israeli attack in the Gaza Strip is not likely to be of particular concern to him. "I thank God for the honor he has given us with the martyrdom of my three sons and some grandchildren," the Qatari television station Al Jazeera quoted the Hamas leader as saying.

Ismail Haniyeh(Bild: APA/AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

I thank God for the honor he has given us with the martyrdom of my three sons and some grandchildren.

Hamas-Chef Ismail Haniyeh

"No more valuable than other children"
He continued: "The blood of my children is not more valuable than the blood of the children of the Palestinian people. All the martyrs of Palestine are my children." "If they think that targeting my children at the height of these talks - before the (Hamas) movement has presented its response - will persuade Hamas to change its positions, then they are insane," Haniyeh said towards Israel. He was referring to the indirect negotiations on a ceasefire and the release of further hostages.

An Israeli army spokesman confirmed the killing of three sons and stated that they were Hamas fighters. However, the killing of the grandchildren was not confirmed.

Sister arrested
At the beginning of the month, Israeli police had already arrested one of Haniyeh's sisters, who lives in southern Israel. The 57-year-old is suspected of "maintaining contact with Hamas activists", it was reported. She is also suspected of supporting and inciting terrorist attacks in Israel.

Israel's military has repeatedly targeted and killed political and military leaders of Hamas and other militant Palestinian organizations. In the case of Haniyeh, several of his relatives are also said to have been killed in October.