An Israeli air strike on Tuesday morning killed 10 members of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh’s family in Gaza’s Shati refugee camp. The tragic event has been confirmed by both Hamas and Gaza’s civil defence agency.
Hamas has attributed responsibility for the continued violence in Gaza to the administration of US President Joe Biden, accusing the United States of providing Israel with “political and military cover” to carry out extensive destruction in the region. The group asserts that the U.S. support enables Israel to perpetuate what they describe as a war of “extermination” against the Palestinian people.
Mahmud Basal, a spokesperson for Gaza’s civil defence agency, reported that the air strike targeted the home of the Haniyeh family in the Shati camp. “There are 10 martyrs … as a result of the strike, including Zahr Haniyeh, sister of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh,” Basal stated. He added that more bodies might still be buried under the rubble, but the agency lacks the necessary equipment to retrieve them.
The bodies of the victims have been transferred to al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, and several other individuals were reported injured in the attack.
Hamas has issued a call to the international community and the United Nations, urging them to take immediate action to protect civilians and hold the leaders of the Israeli occupation accountable for their alleged crimes. The Israeli military, however, claimed responsibility for targeting two buildings in Shati and Daraj Tuffah overnight, stating that these locations housed fighters involved in the October 7 attack on Israel, which precipitated the current conflict. The military’s statement did not specifically mention the strike on the Haniyeh family home.
According to Al Jazeera’s reporting, the deceased members of the Haniyeh family include Zahr Abdel Salam Haniyeh, Nahed Haniyeh Abu Ghazi, Iman Haniyeh Umm Ghazi, Ismail Nahed Haniyeh, Muhammad Nahed Haniyeh, Moamen Nahed Haniyeh, Zahra Nahed Haniyeh, Amal Nahed Haniyeh, Shahad Nahed Haniyeh, and Sumaya Nahed Haniyeh.
This incident follows an earlier air strike in April, which killed three sons and four grandchildren of Ismail Haniyeh. At that time, the Israeli military accused them of being involved in terrorist activities. Haniyeh has stated that approximately 60 members of his family have been killed since the conflict escalated on October 7 of the previous year. The ongoing war in Gaza has resulted in more than 37,600 fatalities in the territory.
Despite the heavy toll, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that the war will persist even if a ceasefire agreement is reached with Hamas.
