Ismail Haniyeh’s sons and grandchildren were killed in an airstrike in Gaza.

Mavhungunekuvule Mungomeni

Picture courtesy: (CNN) Israel killed sons and grandchildren of Ismail Haniyeh while traveling in a car in Gaza City.

(The Post News)– The leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, has lost three of his sons and four of his grandchildren in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, the exiled political chief of the militant group has confirmed in the Qatari capital of Doha.

A report by Vicky Wong states that Ismail Haniyeh confirms that the car his sons were traveling in was hit in the Al-Shati camp near Gaza City. The Hamas leader stated that this incident would not change Hamas’s demands in talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire deal. Israel’s military said the sons were members of Hamas’s military wing. The group was reportedly on its way to a family celebration to mark the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid.

Haniyeh was elected head of Hamas’s political bureau in 2017, and the US Department of State designated him as a terrorist in 2018. These are not the first members of Mr. Haniyeh’s family to have been killed in the war. Another son was reportedly killed in February, while his brother and nephew were killed in October, followed by a grandson in November. Haniyeh is widely considered Hamas’s overall leader and has been a prominent member of the movement since 1980.

In a statement, Hamas political leader Haniyeh said on Wednesday, April 10th, that his children were among those killed in what they called the treacherous and cowardly strike. He said, “I heard the news as I was visiting wounded Palestinians who had been taken for treatment to the Qatari capital, Doha. The enemy will be delusional if it thinks that targeting my sons, at the climax of the ceasefire negotiations and before the movement sends its response, will push Hamas to change its position.” He thanked God for the honor bestowed on him by what he called the martyrdom of his children and grandchildren.

The Israeli military only mentions the sons, not the grandchildren of Haniyeh. “It had eliminated three Hamas military wing operatives in the central Gaza city.”

President Joe Biden, due to international pressure to reach a ceasefire deal, has sent the head of the CIA, William Burns, for the latest round of talks in Cairo. The latest proposal, which Hamas says it is analysing, reportedly includes the release of 40 Israeli hostages being held in Gaza in return for 900 Palestinians from Israeli jails.

While the negotiations continue, Haniyeh continues to mourn the deaths of his family members; however, he won’t let the deaths of his loved ones affect the negotiations for a ceasefire.