War in Gaza
Sons and grandsons of Hamas chief probably killed in Israeli attack: “Thank God for the martyrdom”
Hamas leader Ismail Haniya at a press conference in Iran
© Vahid Salemi / AP / DPA
The war between Hamas and Israel claims numerous victims. Now relatives of the Hamas leader are also included. And Lebanon is puzzling over the mysterious death of a middleman.
According to Hamas, three sons and three grandchildren of Hamas foreign chief Ismail Haniya were killed in an Israeli attack in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. Hamas circles in Beirut confirmed a corresponding report from the Shihab news agency. They were hit in a vehicle in the Al-Shati refugee camp in the northern part of the coastal strip.
“I thank God for the honor he bestowed on us with the martyrdom of my three sons and some grandchildren,” the Qatari television channel Al-Jazeera quoted the Hamas leader as saying. An Israeli army spokesman said they were reviewing the report. Haniya, chairman of the Hamas politburo, has lived in Qatar with part of his family for years.
Haniya has been chairman of Hamas’ political bureau since 2017. He was confirmed in his office for another four years by the so-called Shura Council in 2021. He is considered the “overarching” head of the Islamist Hamas, while Jihia al-Sinwar is the head of the Gaza Strip. Hanija was born in the Al-Shati refugee camp in 1963 and grew up there in poor conditions.
Hamas middleman found dead in Lebanon
Lebanese police circles also say that there is a connection with the Islamist group A Lebanese man linked to Hamas was found dead in Lebanon. The man was hit by five shots. He was found on Tuesday in the area around Beit Meri, about 20 kilometers northeast of Beirut. A robbery-murder was ruled out because large sums of cash, which were attributed to the victim, were left at the crime scene.
Lebanese security sources said it was a 50-year-old man under US sanctions. According to US information, he was responsible for transferring millions of dollars to Hamas. The money was transferred from Iran via the Shiite militia Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hamas-allied Hezbollah is considered Iran’s most important non-state ally.
Already several Hamas members killed
Hamas was founded in 1987 as an offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood during the first Palestinian Intifada uprising against Israeli occupation. The Politburo is considered the highest decision-making body and has 15 members.
In the Hamas terrorist attack on the Israeli border area on October 7th, which triggered the Gaza war, more than 1,200 people were killed and over 250 people were kidnapped into the Gaza Strip. Israel then announced the targeted killing of Hamas leaders. According to the Hamas Interior Ministry, several members of Haniya were killed in an Israeli attack in the Gaza Strip in October.