Daijiworld Media Network – Gaza City
Gaza City, May 7: An Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Wednesday wounded the son of senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya and killed one person, according to Palestinian officials and local medics.
The strike targeted the Daraj neighbourhood of Gaza City and injured at least nine others. Hamas confirmed that Azzam al-Hayya, son of Khalil al-Hayya — the head of Hamas’s political bureau and chief negotiator in indirect talks with Israel — was seriously wounded in the attack.
Khalil al-Hayya identified the person killed in the strike as Hamza al-Sharbasi.
“I say to the occupation and to all who hear us, we are a people with a just cause. Neither the killing of our sons nor the martyrdom of our leaders will intimidate us,” al-Hayya said in a statement.
“Our sons are the sons of the Palestinian people, and my son and the sons of others are all sons of our people without distinction,” he added.
According to reports, Khalil al-Hayya had previously lost three sons in earlier Israeli military operations — two during the conflicts in Gaza in 2008 and 2014, while another was reportedly killed in an Israeli operation targeting Hamas leadership in Doha last year.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the latest strike.
Taher al-Nono, a Hamas official and aide to al-Hayya, condemned the attack and said targeting the negotiator’s family would not alter Hamas’s position in ongoing talks.
“Shelling and killing only make the negotiator more steadfast in his positions, in defending his people’s rights, and in their free will,” al-Nono said.
Elsewhere in Gaza on Wednesday, Israeli air raids reportedly killed four more people. Three members of a family were killed in the Zeitoun neighbourhood of northern Gaza City while attempting to erect a tent near Salah al-Din Mosque, according to medics.
Another strike near the al-Mawasi area in southern Gaza reportedly killed Naseem al-Kalazani, identified as the head of the anti-narcotics force in Khan Younis. At least 17 others were said to have been injured in the attack.
Hamas condemned the strikes, describing them as violations of the ceasefire agreement reached last year and accused Israel of continuing military operations across the Gaza Strip.
According to Gaza health authorities, hundreds of Palestinians have reportedly been killed since the ceasefire agreement, while humanitarian agencies continue to warn of worsening conditions in the territory.
Meanwhile, Israel’s security cabinet is reported to have discussed the possibility of renewed military escalation after disagreements with Hamas over issues including disarmament, territorial control and humanitarian aid access.