Israel’s senior commanders and political leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, were not consulted before a military strike killed three sons of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza. Neither Netanyahu nor Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had been informed in advance of the airstrike, which was coordinated by the Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet intelligence service, as reported by the Walla news agency. The report stated that the Haniyeh sons were targeted as fighters and not because they were related to the Hamas leader. Ismail Haniyeh, who has been living in exile in Qatar, has 13 children, and it is believed that four of his grandchildren were also killed in the attack.
The deaths of Haniyeh’s sons were reported by Hamas’ Al-Aqsa TV station, which noted that the airstrike hit near the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City. A video aired on the TV station showed Haniyeh receiving the news of his sons’ deaths while visiting wounded Palestinians in a hospital in Doha. In the video, Haniyeh is seen nodding, looking down, and slowly leaving the room as an aide receives the news on his phone. The killing of Haniyeh’s relatives has complicated negotiations aimed at securing a halt in the fighting in Gaza in exchange for the return of 133 Israeli hostages still believed to be held in the besieged enclave.
Haniyeh has stated that Hamas has “clear and specific” demands for agreeing to any pause in the fighting in Gaza. He emphasized that the enemy would be mistaken if it believed that targeting his sons would force Hamas to change its position. Hamas is demanding an immediate end to the Israeli offensive, a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and permission for displaced Palestinians to return to their homes. The strike that killed Haniyeh’s sons came after Iran’s leader threatened to take action against Israel during a prayer ceremony and criticized the U.S. and the West for their involvement amid tensions in the region.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed that Israel “will be punished” for its actions, as he spoke at a prayer ceremony celebrating the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Iran has promised retribution for a reported Israeli airstrike that demolished Iran’s consulate in Syria the previous month. The killing of Haniyeh’s sons and the threats made by Iran have added to the complexity of negotiations to bring an end to the violence in Gaza. The situation has also caused concern among Democrat senators who have voiced their worries over Israel’s war status as President Biden attempts to navigate a challenging balance with progressives in the U.S. government.
