Top Hamas leader defiant after air strike kills 3 sons

Haniyeh says Israel is delusional’ to think killing of his children will see Hamas give in

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An Israeli air strike on April 10 killed three sons of one of the most senior leaders of Hamas, Mr Ismail Haniyeh, who said the attack would not weaken the group's negotiating position or its resolve in its fight against Israel.

Mr Haniyeh, who leads the Hamas political bureau from exile, is a longstanding leader of the group.

He is also engaged in the stalled negotiations with Israel through international mediators seeking to broker a ceasefire and secure the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

"The enemy is delusional if it thinks that by killing my children, we will change our positions," Mr Haniyeh said in a statement. "We shall not give in, no matter the sacrifices." Israeli ground troops have largely pulled out of Gaza, but Israel continues to conduct air strikes across the territory, as well as wage battles in a corridor in central Gaza where the Israeli military has maintained a presence.

Mr Haniyeh, who has long shuttled between Qatar and Turkey, said that 60 members of his extended family had been killed by Israel over time and that the strike on April 10 had killed some grandchildren in addition to the three sons.

Hamas' critics, including some Palestinians, have accused the organisation's leadership of living luxurious lifestyles abroad as the people in Gaza suffer dire humanitarian conditions. Mr Haniyeh on April 10 cast his loss in the broader context of Palestinian suffering.

"All the members of our people and the families of the residents of Gaza have paid a great price in the blood of their children," he said. "I am one of them." Mr Haniyeh did not specify his sons' roles in Hamas but called them martyrs, saying on the group's official Telegram account that they had remained in Gaza while he led Hamas' political bureau from exile.