Three sons of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Hamas Political Bureau, along with his three grandchildren, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City Wednesday.
Hamas' media office reported that the sons were killed by a strike on their car while they were driving in Al-Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City. Three of Haniyeh's grandchildren were also killed in the raid, Hamas said.
Later in the day, Israel officially confirmed the attack.
"An aircraft struck three Hamas military operatives that conducted terrorist activity in the central Gaza Strip," Israel's Shin Bet security service and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a joint statement.
According to the statement, the three sons who were killed are Amir Haniyeh, Mohammad Haniyeh, and Hazem Haniyeh.
The IDF added in the statement that it is "aware of claims that other relatives of Haniyeh were harmed, among them a minor. This information is not verified by the IDF."
Haniyeh said in an interview with Al Jazeera TV after the attack that the killing of his sons would not affect Hamas' demands in Gaza ceasefire negotiations.
Haniyeh, the 61-year-old Hamas leader, is based in Qatar.
OpenAI pauses ChatGPT voice after Scarlett Johansson comparisons
Advocates push states to save foster children's federal benefits, not spend them
Interior Design Masters final crowns Rosin the winner with her VERY colourful holiday lodge re
A warrant for Netanyahu’s arrest was requested. But no decision was made about whether to issue it
Faye Dunaway's wildest moments! Fiery Oscar
Sky use balanced attack, dominate fourth quarter to beat Wings 84
Pentagon vows to keep weapons moving to Ukraine as Kyiv faces a renewed assault by Russia
Letter from China: Exploring culturally rich Beijing along central axis
Kosovo prepares a new draft law on renting prison cells to Denmark after the first proposal failed
Shenzhen overwhelms Shandong, Shanghai beats Fujian