Particle.news

Hamas Leader Disputes Reports His Son Was Killed in Israeli Strike in Gaza

The dispute highlights uncertainty around strikes involving Hamas’s lead negotiator.

Overview

  • Palestinian outlets, relayed by VINnews, said an Israeli strike in Gaza City’s Al-Daraj neighborhood killed Azzam Khalil al-Hayya.
  • Khalil al-Hayya told Al Jazeera his son was seriously wounded and said another man, Hamza al-Sharbati, was killed.
  • Israel National News reported Israeli officials said Azzam was not an assassination target but may have been at the site, and one official called him an active Hamas member.
  • Some reports said the intended target was a Nukhba commander from Hamas’s elite unit that led a breach of the border on October 7.
  • VINnews said a confirmed death would be the fourth loss of a son for al-Hayya, who heads Hamas’s Gaza political bureau and its negotiating team, while the IDF offered no immediate comment in initial reports.