Hamas says a son of its chief negotiator was killed in an Israeli strike on Gaza
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The son of Hamas' lead negotiator died on Thursday after being wounded by an Israeli strike on Gaza, the militant group said.
Khalil al-Hayya's 32-year-old son, Azzam, was wounded by a strike in Gaza City that killed another person and wounded several others. The Israeli military has not commented on the strike. The older al-Hayya is based abroad.
Israel has continued to carry out regular strikes against what it says are militant targets — also killing civilians — since a U.S.-brokered ceasefire halted major military operations in October. That agreement also led to the release of the remaining hostages taken in Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war.
Key stipulations of the agreement remain unmet, including the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of an international stabilization force and Israel's withdrawal from the half of the territory its troops still control. Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violations.
Hamas accused Israel of trying to pressure negotiators through targeted killings. It was not clear if the younger al-Hayya was the target of the strike.
In comments to Al Jazeera after his son was wounded, Al-Hayya said that if his son was targeted, “it would be an honor to me, to him, and to all Palestinians.”
When asked about disarming, al-Hayya said Hamas would be ready to discuss the second phase of the ceasefire agreement only after Israel fulfills the first phase, which includes a cessation of hostilities and a surge in humanitarian aid.
Israeli strikes have killed several top Hamas leaders and their family members over the years. Another son of al-Hayya, Hammam, was killed in an Israeli strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar in September.
Al-Hayya's daughter, Tasnim, speaking at Shifa Hospital in Gaza, said her father's hand would not be forced by the deaths of his children.
“We are like all our people. Everyone has suffered and everyone has sacrificed. We are one of them,” she said.
More than 72,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its offensive in response to Hamas' 2023 attack, in which militants killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostage. Palestinians in Gaza are still contending with myriad daily struggles, from lack of water to rodent infestations in tents.
Relatives of three people killed Wednesday in a separate Israeli strike on Gaza gathered in the courtyard of Shifa Hospital on Thursday to say their final goodbyes, embracing as they wept.
The family members had just moved out of a school where they were sheltering and were setting up new tents when they were struck. A man, his son and his nephew were killed, according to a relative, Yahiya Kishko.
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Ezzidin reported from Cairo.
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