Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s ‘three sons & grandchildren killed in Israeli airstrike in Gaza’, terror group claims
HAMAS leader Ismail Haniyeh’s three sons and three grandchildren have reportedly been killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip.
The terror boss claimed they had been killed in a blast that is yet to have been confirmed by Israel Defence Forces.
Haniyeh, 61, who has sanctuary in Qatar and lives in a billionaire penthouse apartment, is the political leader of Hamas.
The terror leader and his family members confirmed their deaths on social media after an announcement on Hamas’ Al-Aqsa TV station.
Haniyeh identified his allegedly slain children as Hazem, Amir and Mohammad.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, he said a number of his grandchildren were also killed.
He claimed his family was targeted while driving in a car near the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City.
The terror chief hit out at Israel, stating that they are “driven by the spirit of revenge” as he claimed 60 members of his family have been killed since the start of the war.
There has been no immediate comment from the IDF.
The three brothers – Hazem, Ameer and Mohammed – were travelling with family members in a single vehicle targeted by an Israeli drone, Hamas’ Al-Aqsa TV said.
It said a total of six people were killed, including a daughter of Hazem Haniyeh, and a son and daughter of Ameer.
The strike comes as international mediators have been trying to broker a new ceasefire agreement.
Haniyeh said the alleged killing of his three sons would not pressure the terror group into softening its position in its ceasefire negotiations with Israel.
“The enemy believes that by targeting the families of the leaders, it will push them to give up the demands of our people,” he said.
“Anyone who believes that targeting my sons will push Hamas to change its position is delusional.”
His furious response comes as Iran’s supreme leader has stoked fears of an all-out war breaking out in the Middle East after he vowed to “punish” Israel.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned revenge is looming following a deadly strike on their consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus last week that killed several of its top commanders.
Since the suspected Israeli bombing left at least 12 dead, Iran has been spewing increasingly potent verbal threats at its greatest foe.
And thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets to burn Israeli and US flags while screaming “death” to them both in a display of fury over the embassy airstrike.
The attack on an Iranian diplomatic compound was a significant escalation in what has been a long-running shadow war between the two archenemies.
Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu‘s war cabinet has been locked in crunch meetings over fears that Iran will launch an assault.
Israel said last week it was strengthening its air defences and cancelling leave for combat units following Iran’s retaliation threats.
A Western security official revealed this week that Israel will respond to any attacks by striking Iran‘s multiple nuclear targets directly.
Israeli forces have allegedly been conducting secret air force drills in preparation for the dangerous escalation, Elaph News reports.
Meanwhile, a top Hamas commander was killed in Israeli air strike early on Tuesday.
Hatem Alramery oversaw the launching of rockets at Israeli forces for months in the Strip before he was taken out in a warplane blitz.
He headed up one of the terror group’s cell hidden in Gaza’s central refugee camps.
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