Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh has confirmed that three of his sons and four of his grandchildren have been killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza.
They were targeted while travelling in a car at Al-Shati camp near Gaza City. It’s reported that they were on their way to a family celebration to mark the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid.
Mr Haniyeh has been centrally involved in negotiations seeking to broker a ceasefire in the war in Gaza, in return for the release of hostages held by Hamas. Mr Haniyeh condemned what he called “the treacherous and cowardly strike” but said the attack would not affect his search for a peace deal.
Israel has confirmed that it carried out the attack, describing the sons of Mr Haniyeh as “Hamas military operatives”. The statement did not mention the deaths of Mr Haniyeh’s four grandchildren.
Ismail Haniyeh is widely considered Hamas’s overall leader and has been a prominent member of the movement since 1980. He was elected head of Hamas’s political bureau in 2017.
Hamas-led gunmen attacked Israel on 7 October, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostage.
More than 33,000 people in Gaza, ,the majority civilians, have been killed during Israel’s offensive there since the October attack, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Clive Myrie presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Jeremy Bowen.
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