Sister of Hamas Leader Reportedly Killed in IDF Airstrike
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei meets with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Iran, June 21, 2023. Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA via Reuters
The sister of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was reportedly killed in an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) airstrike on Monday, according to the terrorist group.
The IDF did not confirm the report, but said in a statement that fighter jets had struck two terrorist encampments in central Gaza on Monday that were allegedly used by Hamas. Among the victims were terrorists who participated in Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel and were involved in holding hostages, the military said.
Hamas said that 10 people were killed in one of the strikes including the sister of the Hamas leader. Hamas-linked media outlets in Gaza said all 10 were members of the Haniyeh family.
Haniyeh spends most of his time in Doha, Qatar.
In April, three of his sons were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military confirmed carrying out the attack, describing the three sons as terrorist operatives in Hamas’ armed wing.
The three sons — Hazem, Amir, and Mohammad — were killed when the car they were driving was bombed in Gaza’s Al-Shati camp, Hamas said, adding that four of Haniyeh’s grandchildren, three girls and a boy, were also killed in the attack.
Asked about the four grandchildren killed in the airstrike, the Israeli military said there was “no information on that right now.”
Haniyeh — who reportedly has an estimated net worth of $4 billion and lives a life of luxury abroad in exile in Qatar — has been the tough-talking face of Hamas’ international diplomacy as war with Israel has raged on in Gaza, where his family home was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike back in November.
“The blood of my sons is not dearer than the blood of our people,” Haniyeh, 61, who has 13 sons and daughters according to Hamas sources, told pan-Arab Al Jazeera TV.
Haniyeh has yet to comment on his sister’s death.
Separately, Hamas is reportedly preparing to relocate its political leadership — which Haniyeh belongs to — from Qatar to Iraq, as increasing pressure from both Doha and the United States pushes the group towards greater flexibility in Gaza ceasefire talks. However, Hamas has denied reports that it plans on relocating.
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