Hamas leader's chilling reaction as he is told his three sons have been killed ... trends now
Chilling video shows the moment top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh hears for the first time that his three sons and 'several' grandchildren have been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza.
A deeply distressed voice can be heard delivering the news to the group's top political leader, sobbing as he says: 'Hazem, Mohammed and Amir have been killed, along with their children.'
Haniyeh barely flinches as he hears the information, and remains composed as he nods and takes it in before slowly walking out of the room. 'God rest their souls,' he says, before he is asked by an aide: 'Shall we end the visit?'
The Hamas chief nonchalantly responds: 'No, why? Let's continue,' as he walks to the door, followed by his entourage and officials. The group were meeting wounded Palestinians at a hospital in Qatar, where Haniyeh lives in exile.
Haniyeh's family members are said to have been killed in a fatal strike near the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City. Israel claims Mohammed and Hazem were two Hamas military operatives, while the third, Amir, was a cell commander.
Haniyeh, 61, who has 13 sons and daughters according to Hamas sources, later confirmed the news to Al Jazeera, telling the broadcaster: 'I am grateful to God for the honor he has given me in the deaths of three of my children and a few of my grandchildren.'
'My sons were awarded this honor. They remained with our Palestinian people in Gaza, did not leave and did not run,' he said, adding: 'The blood of my sons is not dearer than the blood of our people.'
The terror leader hit out at Israel, stating they are 'driven by the spirit of revenge' as he claimed around 60 members of his family have been killed since the start of the war.
Haniyeh barely flinches as he hears the information, and remains composed as he nods and takes it in before slowly walking out of the room
Onlookers check the car in which three sons of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh were reportedly killed in an Israeli air strike in al-Shati camp, west of Gaza City
A report today has suggested that Israeli forces carried out the air strike without consulting senior commanders or political leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Quoting senior Israeli officials, Walla news agency said neither Netanyahu nor Defence Minister Yoav Gallant had been told in advance of the strike, which was coordinated by the Israeli military and the Shin Bet intelligence service.
It said Amir, Mohammad and Hazem Haniyeh had been targeted as fighters and not because they were the sons of Hamas's political leader. The Israeli military did not comment on reports that four of Haniyeh's grandchildren had also been killed.
No comment on the Walla report was immediately available from the prime minister's office or the military.
Haniyeh yesterday confirmed to Al Jazeera 'the martyrdom of my three sons and some of my grandchildren'.
The terror chief said: 'Through the blood of the martyrs and the pain of the injured, we create hope, we create the future, we create independence and freedom for our people and our nation,' the terror chief said.
The three brothers - Hazem, Ameer and Mohammed - were travelling with family members in a single vehicle targeted by an Israeli drone, Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV said.
It revealed a total of six people were killed, including a daughter of Hazem Haniyeh, and a son and daughter of Amir.
The Hamas chief nonchalantly responds: 'No, why? Let's continue,' as he walks to the door, followed by his entourage and officials
Three sons and 'several' grandchildren of Hamas' supreme leader, Ismail Haniyeh, have been killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip
Ismail Haniyeh, who now lives in exile in Qatar, is originally from Shati.
The deaths were confirmed by Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV station as well as Haniyeh family members on social media.
The killing of Haniyeh's relatives has added a potential complication to negotiations aimed at securing a halt in the fighting in Gaza in exchange for the return of the 133 Israeli hostages still believed to be held in the besieged enclave.
Haniyeh said Hamas had 'clear and specific' demands for agreeing to any pause in the fighting.
'The enemy will be delusional if it thinks that targeting my sons, at the climax of the negotiations and before the movement sends its response, will push Hamas to change its position,' Haniyeh said on Wednesday.
It comes after the Hamas chief said last Wednesday that his Palestinian Islamist movement at war with Israel was sticking to its conditions for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, including an Israeli military withdrawal.
Israeli officials visited Egypt at the start of last week in a bid to secure a deal, but a Palestinian official close to the mediation procedure said there had been no signs that a breakthrough was underway.
The IDF are yet to comment on the multiple deaths within the Haniyeh family
'We are committed to our demands - the permanent ceasefire, comprehensive and complete withdrawal of the enemy out of the Gaza Strip, the return of all displaced people to their homes, allowing all aid needed for our people in Gaza, rebuilding the Strip, lifting the
