Three sons of Ismail Haniyeh, a leader of the Palestinian group Hamas, were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, according to statements from Hamas and Haniyeh’s family.
The Israeli military confirmed that it had conducted the attack, stating that the three sons were members of Hamas’ armed wing and describing them as terrorist operatives.
Hamas announced that Hazem, Amir, and Mohammad, along with four of Haniyeh’s grandchildren (three girls and a boy), were killed when their car was bombed in Gaza’s Al-Shati refugee camp.
When asked about the deaths of the four grandchildren, the Israeli military responded that they did not have information about that aspect of the incident at the time.
Haniyeh, who reportedly resides in luxury abroad in Qatar and has an estimated net worth of $4 billion, has been a prominent figure in Hamas’ international diplomacy during the ongoing conflict with Israel. His family home in Gaza was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in November.
In an interview with pan-Arab Al Jazeera TV, Haniyeh, 61, stated, “The blood of my sons is not more precious than the blood of our people.” According to Hamas sources, Haniyeh has a total of 13 sons and daughters.
The three sons and four grandchildren were visiting family during the first day of the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday in Shati, their home refugee camp in Gaza City, according to relatives.
