New Delhi: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has confirmed that three of his sons were killed in an Israeli attack in Gaza.
After the airstrike Wednesday, Israel had confirmed that three operatives of the Hamas’ military wing were targeted in the attack.
The airstrike took place as Haniyeh’s sons — Hazem, Amir and Mohammad Haniyeh — were in a car in Gaza’s al-Shati camp, according to Hamas.
The Hamas political chief has further alleged that his four grandchildren perished in the attack that took place on the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
“Through the blood of the martyrs and the pain of the injured, we create hope, we create the future, we create independence and freedom for our people and our nation,” Haniyeh is reported to have told Al Jazeera. “There is no doubt that this criminal enemy is driven by the spirit of revenge and the spirit of murder and bloodshed, and it does not observe any standards or laws.”
The airstrike came a day after Hamas announced that it is reviewing Israel’s current proposal, while adding that Tel Aviv met none of the demands made by the Palestinian side.
A day after striking at Haniyeh’s sons, Israel announced a new “precise” operation in central Gaza overnight.
Based out of Doha, Qatar, Haniyeh became the leader of Hamas’ political wing in 2017. He has claimed that the killings of his sons would not have an impact on the ongoing indirect negotiations for a ceasefire that has been stuck since at least November 2023, after a week-long ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hamas.
On Wednesday, Haniyeh further clarified in comments to the media that the administration in Israel was “delusional” if it believed that striking at his children would change Hamas’ negotiating position.
Also Read: Before US elections, Iraq is forcing America to answer—which ‘forever war’ is worth fighting
Charges of living in affluence
Born in the al-Shati refugee camp, Haniyeh, 61, is regarded as the overall leader of Hamas. He is reported to have joined the organisation in the 1980s and was arrested by Israel for three years in 1989.
He is reported to have received primary education in Gaza’s educational institutions managed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and went on to study at the Islamic University of Gaza.
In the aftermath of a kidnapping of an Israeli border guard in 1992, at least 400 Palestinians were expelled by Israel to Southern Lebanon. Haniyeh was one of those expelled by Israel. At the Marj Ez-Zouhour Camp, Haniyeh and other individuals from Hamas came into contact with Hezbollah, an militant group that operates out of Lebanon.
This contact with Hezbollah, and by extension the leadership in Tehran, helped increase the profile of Haniyeh within Hamas. In 1997, Haniyeh was appointed as the head of the office of Hamas’ spiritual leader according to media reports.
According to the Middle East Policy Council (MEPC), a Washington D.C. based think-tank, Haniyeh as early as 1996 had argued for Hamas’ participation in Palestinian elections. However, he was forced to back down from participating in the nascent democratic processes that year by a section of Hamas.
In 2006, Hamas participated in the Palestinian elections and emerged as the largest party. Hanniyeh was appointed as prime minister by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen).
This short-lived government ended up falling after Hamas violently ejected Fatah — Abu Mazen’s political party — from the Gaza strip in 2007. Haniyeh was dismissed as prime minister, and Gaza and the West Bank came under control of two different administrations.
Haniyeh and the Hamas rule over Gaza saw its leadership reportedly become millionaires while the civilian population struggled with weak economic conditions as a result of the Israel-Egypt blockade.
Haniyeh is reported to have 13 children and he and his wife have reportedly lived extravagant lives outside of Gaza according to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), a US-based think tank.
MEMRI reports that Haniyeh allegedly bought a plot of land worth $4 million on the beachfront in Gaza near the al-Shati refugee camp in 2010. He and his family are also alleged to own multiple houses across Gaza and Istanbul.
In 2017, Haniyeh was appointed as the head of Hamas’ political bureau and considered to be its leader. The next year, the US designated him a terrorist.
In December 2019, Haniyeh left Gaza via Egypt through the Rafah crossing on a “foreign tour” and has not returned since.
He currently lives in Doha, where Hamas has received support from the Qatari government. In April 2023, for example, Haniyeh and Hamas held an Iftar function in Doha’s diplomatic club, which saw over 30 diplomats in attendance.
The strike on Haniyeh’s sons and the precise operation comes even as international negotiators are continuing their attempts to broker a ceasefire, which could include the release of 40 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for roughly 900 Palestinian prisoners held by Tel Aviv, according to The New York Times (NYT).
According to the NYT, Hamas does not have 40 living hostages who met the criteria for the proposed ceasefire. There are about 130 hostages remaining in Gaza, according to Israeli intelligence, of which at least 30 are said to have been killed in the last six months of the conflict.
Israeli media have reported that the strikes on Haniyeh’s children and the operation that followed is a part of Tel Aviv’s attempts of “revenge and frustration” that may delay the successful conclusion of the negotiations for a ceasefire.
On 7 October 2023, Hamas launched an attack on Israel, which killed around 1,200 Israelis and a further 250 were reported to have been captured. Israel’s retaliatory strikes have killed 33,000 Palestinians, according to Hamas-led Gazan health authorities.
(Edited by Tony Rai)