Hamas chief says three sons killed in air strike

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Israeli plane killed three sons of Hamas’ prime political chief within the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, hanging high-stakes targets at a time when Israel is holding delicate ceasefire negotiations with the terrorist group. Hamas mentioned 4 of the chief’s grandchildren had been additionally killed.

Ismail Haniyeh’s sons are among the many highest-profile figures to be killed within the warfare to date. Israel mentioned they had been Hamas operatives, and Haniyeh accused Israel of performing in “the spirit of revenge and homicide.”

The deaths threaten to pressure the internationally mediated ceasefire talks, which appeared to achieve steam in latest days whilst the perimeters stay far aside on key points.

Haniyeh mentioned Hamas wouldn’t cave to the stress leveled by the strike on his household.

Hamas’ Al-Aqsa TV station mentioned Hazem, Ameer and Mohammed Haniyeh had been killed within the strike close to the Shati refugee camp in Gaza Metropolis, the place Ismail Haniyeh is initially from. Hamas mentioned three of Haniyeh’s granddaughters and a grandson had been additionally killed. Hamas didn’t disclose their ages.

The brothers had been touring with members of the family in a single automobile focused by an Israeli drone, Al-Aqsa TV mentioned.

The Israeli navy mentioned Mohammed and Hazem had been Hamas navy operatives and that Ameer was a cell commander. It mentioned they’d performed terrorist exercise within the central Gaza Strip, with out elaborating. It didn’t remark concerning the grandchildren killed.

For Palestinians, the strike on Haniyeh’s household darkened an already grim Eid al-Fitr vacation, which ends the holy fasting month of Ramadan. Palestinians marked the vacation by visiting the graves of family members killed within the warfare. Within the Jabaliya refugee camp close to Gaza Metropolis, folks sat quietly by graves surrounded by buildings destroyed by Israel’s offensive, which was launched in response to the lethal Hamas assault on Oct. 7.

As distress in Gaza lingers, Israel has confronted rising stress, together with from its prime ally, the U.S., to vary tack within the warfare, particularly regarding the supply of humanitarian support.

On Tuesday, President Biden referred to as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s dealing with of the warfare in Gaza a mistake and urged his authorities to flood the beleaguered territory with support. He repeated that decision once more Wednesday, saying the efforts to spice up support had been “not sufficient” and demanding one other entry level for vans in northern Gaza.

After months of supporting the warfare in opposition to Hamas, the White Home has ramped up stress on Israel to achieve a ceasefire and brought a sterner line that has rattled the international locations’ decades-old alliance and deepened Israel’s worldwide isolation over the warfare.

Probably the most critical disagreement has been over Israel’s plans for an offensive in Rafah. The rift was worsened by an Israeli airstrike final week on an support convoy that killed seven employees with the World Central Kitchen charity, most of them foreigners. Israel mentioned the deaths had been unintentional, however Biden was outraged.

Biden’s newest feedback spotlight the variations between Israel and the U.S. over humanitarian support to folks in Gaza, the place the warfare has led to warnings of imminent famine for greater than one million folks.

Israel halted support deliveries to Gaza within the early days of the warfare, however underneath U.S. stress has slowly elevated the variety of vans allowed to enter the territory.

Nonetheless, support teams say provides usually are not reaching determined folks shortly sufficient, blaming Israeli restrictions and noting that 1000’s of vans are ready to enter Gaza.

The warfare has ignited a humanitarian disaster. A lot of the territory’s inhabitants has been displaced, and with huge swaths of Gaza’s city panorama leveled within the combating, many areas are uninhabitable.

Supply: AP

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