The head of Hamas’s political leadership, Ismail Haniyeh, said an Israeli airstrike killed three of his sons on Wednesday, the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid-al-Fitr, an attack that could complicate a U.S.-led plan for a cease-fire in the six-month-old conflict in Gaza.
The Israeli military didn’t immediately comment on the statement.
Hamas said five people died in the strike, which the group said hit a car making social visits for Eid, the holiday marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Haniyeh, in a separate statement, said some of his grandchildren also died.
The U.S. is pushing Israel and Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist group, to negotiate on the terms of a temporary cease-fire, but Hamas has largely rejected the U.S. plan, mediators said earlier Wednesday. Hamas said instead it would put forward its own road map for a permanent end to the war with Israel.
The killing of Haniyeh’s children on a Muslim holiday could lead to greater diplomatic pressure on Israel. But it is unclear whether the deaths will significantly change the dynamics of negotiations between Israel and Hamas because decision-making over the war has been more narrowly focused on the Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, and the group’s military wing.
@ISIDEWITH1yr1Y
How do personal tragedies of leaders in a conflict impact your view on the legitimacy or justification of their cause?
@9LGMQ3L1yr1Y
Following a leader is impacting on how you could feel as well since we pick up emotions so quickly.
@ISIDEWITH1yr1Y
Do you think the timing of an act of violence, such as on a holiday, should influence how the act is viewed or judged?
@9LGPV4X1yr1Y
The action should be frowned upon more as holidays are times of peace.
@ISIDEWITH1yr1Y
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