News Screen – The son of a senior Hamas official, Khalil al-Hayya, reportedly died from injuries he suffered after an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City. Al-Shifa Hospital on Thursday stated that Azzam Khalil al-Hayya, 23, died after suffering serious injuries as a result of an attack that occurred in the Al-Daraj area, Gaza City.
The attack reportedly occurred on Wednesday night and left one person dead and injured at least 10 others. This information was also confirmed by Al-Ahli Hospital and local security sources.
The Israeli military has not provided an official statement regarding the report. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement on Thursday that Israeli forces continued to target “terrorist cells” in Gaza, including operations carried out the day before.
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According to Hamas sources, Azzam was the fourth son of Khalil al-Hayya who died as a result of the Israeli attack. Two other children were reported killed before the Gaza war broke out in October 2023, while another son, Hammam al-Hayya, died in an attack in Doha last September.
Khalil al-Hayya himself is known to be one of the main Hamas figures in Gaza and currently lives in Qatar. He is also said to be one of the important figures in the negotiation process and efforts to consolidate Hamas leadership.
In its official statement, Hamas viewed the attack as a form of pressure on their negotiating delegation after Israel was deemed to have failed to achieve its military objectives in Gaza.
Even though a ceasefire mediated by the United States has been in effect since last October, the security situation in Gaza continues to escalate. Israel and Hamas accuse each other of violating previously agreed peace deals.
On the same day, the Israeli military claimed to have attacked a Hamas command center in the northern region of Gaza. Meanwhile, the Gaza Interior Ministry reported that three members of Hamas’ internal security forces were killed in separate attacks in Gaza City.
Data from the Gaza Ministry of Health states that more than 840 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire took effect. On the other hand, the Israeli military reported that five of its soldiers were killed in the same period.***
