Son of senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya reported killed in Gaza strike

The source said he was considered a supporter and assistant to terrorist activity but was not specifically targeted by the IDF.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Azzam al-Hayya, the son of senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, was killed in an Israeli strike in eastern Gaza, according to reports Wednesday by the Saudi channel Al Hadath.

Al Jazeera separately reported that Azzam al-Hayya was seriously wounded but not killed.

An Israeli military source said the strike targeted a Hamas Nukhba terrorist in the Daraj Tuffah area and that al-Hayya’s son was not the intended target.

According to the source, Azzam al-Hayya was nearby during the strike and was either wounded or killed as secondary damage.

The source said he was considered a supporter and assistant to terrorist activity but was not specifically targeted by the IDF.

The reports came months after Israel attempted to assassinate Khalil al-Hayya himself during a strike in Qatar targeting Hamas leadership abroad.

Nearly a month after that failed assassination attempt, the Qatari channel Al-Araby aired what it described as the first interview with Khalil al-Hayya since the strike.

In the interview, al-Hayya referred to the casualties from the attack and expressed solidarity with the families of those killed.

“The pain over the loss of those close to me does not make me forget the killing and destruction in the Gaza Strip,” al-Hayya said. He added that he does not distinguish between “my sons” and “every Palestinian child killed by Israel.”

Al-Hayya also said: “We pray that their blood will be the path to victory, to Jerusalem, to the humiliation of Israel, and the path to victory for the Islamic and Arab nation,” according to the Al-Araby broadcast.

A senior Hamas source previously told Al Jazeera that the organization’s negotiating team had been targeted during a meeting in Doha concerning the Trump framework.

Al Hadath reported at the time that Hamas officials present at the Doha meeting included Khalil al-Hayya, Zaher Jabarin, Khaled Mashaal, Ghazi Hamad, Mohammed Darwish, Mousa Abu Marzouk, and Hossam Badran.

The reports also came as Hamas continued internal voting for leadership positions within the organization’s political bureau.

According to Al-Araby, Hamas recently selected a new leader in the Gaza Strip whose identity has not yet been made public. The report said the appointment would take effect if Khalil al-Hayya is elected to lead Hamas’ overall political bureau.