Hamas international leader Ismail Haniyeh was informed Wednesday afternoon that three of his children and three of his grandchildren “ascended to martyrdom” in an airstrike targeting terrorist infrastructure west of Gaza City.
Those who were killed in the strike included: Hazem Haniyeh and his daughter Amal, Amir Haniyeh, his son Khaled and his daughter Razan, and his son Mohammed Haniyeh, according to “Resistance News Network“.
Hamas sources claimed the airstrike specifically targeted the family’s vehicle as they travel through Al-Shati in central Gaza.
“Earlier today (Wednesday), directed by IDF and Shin Bet intelligence, Israel Air Force aircraft struck three Hamas military operatives that conducted terrorist activity in the central Gaza Strip,” the IDF said in a joint statement with the Shin Bet.
“The three operatives that were struck are Amir Haniyeh, a cell commander in the Hamas military wing, Mohammad Haniyeh, a military operative in the Hamas terrorist organization, and Hazem Haniyeh, also a military operative in the Hamas terror organization.
“The IDF confirms that the three operatives are the sons of Ismail Haniyeh, chairman of Hamas’s political bureau,” the statement concluded.
The IDF did not confirm the deaths of Haniyeh’s three grandchildren.
Ismail Haniyeh himself lives a luxurious lifestyle in the Qatari capital city of Doha, along with other Hamas leaders.
“I thank Allah for this honor that He bestowed upon us through the martyrdom of my three sons and grandchildren. With this pain and blood, we create hope, a future, and freedom for our people, our cause, and our nation,” Haniyeh told Al Jazeera in a statement after learning of the deaths.
The terrorist leader called the deaths “a sacrifice on the path to liberating Al-Quds (Jerusalem) and Al-Aqsa (the Temple Mount),” vowing to continue the fight to annihilate Israel and its Jews.
He added that the deaths of his sons would not affect Hamas’s demands for a ceasefire.
“My martyred sons attained the honor of the time, the honor of the place, and the honor of the conclusion. My children stayed with our people in the Gaza Strip and did not leave the Strip.
“All our people and all the families of Gaza residents have paid a heavy price with the blood of their children, and I am one of them. Nearly 60 members of my family ascended as martyrs, like all the Palestinian people, and there is no difference between them.
“The occupation believes that by targeting the sons of leaders, it will break the resolve of our people. We say to the occupation that this blood will only make us more steadfast in our principles and adherence to our land.”
