Three sons of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh killed in Israeli strike

Three sons of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh were reportedly killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza on Wednesday. 

Al Jazeera Arabic reported that three of Haniyeh’s sons and several of his grandchildren had been killed in an Israeli strike on a vehicle in the Shati Camp, in northern Gaza.

Haniyeh, who is based in the Qatari capital, Doha, subsequently confirmed the news in statements published by the Hamas-affiliated Shehab News Agency.

“All our people and all the families living in Gaza have paid a heavy price in the blood of their children, and I am one of them,” Haniyeh said, referring to his sons as “martyrs.”

Shehab identified the three sons as Hazem, Amir and Mohammad Haniyeh. Hazem’s daughter Amal as well as Amir’s son Khalid and daughter Rezan were also killed, according to the agency.

Haniyeh reportedly has 13 children in total.

An unnamed security source confirmed to Israel's public broadcaster, Kan, that Haniyeh's sons were the target of the strike.

Last week, Israeli media reported that police had arrested a sister of Haniyeh in southern Israel for alleged security offenses. The sister is an Israeli resident and is accused of having contact with Hamas, according to the reports.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan offered their condolences to Haniyeh in phone calls on Wednesday, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu News Agency reported.

Turkey imposed a series of export restrictions on Israel earlier this week in retaliation for Israel’s refusal of a Turkish demand to airdrop aid to Gaza.

In a televised speech earlier on Wednesday, Erdogan reiterated that his country’s embargoes would continue until a ceasefire is reached in the Palestinian enclave and uninterrupted humanitarian aid flows to Gaza.

Israel has killed a number of Hamas’ leaders in the war. Last month, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed that the group’s deputy military leader, Marwan Issa, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. In January, senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri was killed in an explosion in Beirut widely attributed to Israel. 

Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari confirmed later on Wednesday that Israel carried out the attack. In a post on X, Hagari said that the Israeli Air Force targeted the three sons, claiming they were on their way to carry out “terror actions” in central Gaza. Hagari described Amir, Mohammad and Hazem as military operatives in Hamas.

Rina Bassist contributed to this report.