HAMAS leader Ismail Haniyeh’s three sons and three grandchildren have reportedly been killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip.
Haniyeh claimed they had been killed in a blast that is yet to have been confirmed by Israel Defence Forces.
ReutersIsmail Haniyeh is the political head of Hamas who is based in Qatar[/caption]
The terror boss claims that 60 of his relatives have been killed since the war began
Haniyeh, 61, who has sanctuary in Qatar and lives in a billionaire penthouse apartment, is the political leader of Hamas.
Haniyeh and his family members identified his allegedly slain children as Hazem, Amir and Mohammad.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, he said a number of his grandchildren were also killed.
He claimed his family was targeted while driving in a car near the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City.
The terror chief hit out at Israel, stating that they are “driven by the spirit of revenge” as he claimed 60 members of his family have been killed since the start of the war.
There has been no immediate comment from the IDF.
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 said a total of six people were killed, including a daughter of Hazem Haniyeh, and a son and daughter of Ameer.
The strike comes as international mediators have been trying to broker a new ceasefire agreement.
Haniyeh said the alleged killing of his three sons would not pressure the terror group into softening its position in its ceasefire negotiations with Israel.
“The enemy believes that by targeting the families of the leaders, it will push them to give up the demands of our people,” he said.
“Anyone who believes that targeting my sons will push Hamas to change its position is delusional.”
His furious response comes as Iran’s supreme leader has stoked fears of an all-out war breaking out in the Middle East after he vowed to “punish” Israel.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned revenge is looming following a deadly strike on their consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus that killed several of its top commanders.
Since the suspected Israeli bombing left at least 12 dead, Iran has been spewing increasingly potent verbal threats at its greatest foe.
Snarling Tehran President Ebrahim Rasi previously said Israel’s alleged blast “will not go unanswered”.
And thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets to burn Israeli and US flags while screaming “death” to them both in a display of fury over the embassy airstrike.
Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu‘s war cabinet has been locked in crunch meetings over fears that Iran will launch an assault.
Israel said last week it was strengthening its air defences and cancelling leave for combat units following Iran’s retaliation threats.
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