DOHA - Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh says three of his sons have been killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza.
Haniyeh, who lives in Qatar, tells Al Jazeera that several of his grandchildren were also killed in the attack.
It follows reports in a Hamas-affiliated news agency in Gaza that Hazem, Amir, and Muhammad Ismail Haniyeh died in a strike in Beach refugee camp.
The IDF has confirmed its aircraft has "eliminated" the three brothers, describing them as "Hamas military operatives".
Haniyeh says the deaths will not affect the militant group's demands in ongoing ceasefire negotiations.
The news comes as Palestinians in Gaza are marking Eid-al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan, amid the continuing conflict.
Palestinians were filmed praying on the ruins of a mosque destroyed in an air strike by Israeli jets.
US President Joe Biden has criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the war in Gaza, saying "I think what he's doing is a mistake. I don't agree with his approach".
fter he was told that his three sons and their children were targeted and killed, Haniyeh said that the lives of his children are no more valuable than those of any other Gazans. And that it wouldn’t affect Hamas’ position in the ceasefire talks in which he is a leading negotiator.
The Americans want Hamas to soften their position, so perhaps killing Haniyeh’s children may not be the best way of achieving that.
There are critics of Prime Minister Netanyahu in Israel who claim that he wants to prolong the war and he doesn’t want to do a ceasefire deal. And at the same time, Netanyahu is under immense amounts of pressure from the US to reach a compromise and allow an exchange of Palestinian prisoners in return for the hostages in Gaza.
This isn’t the first time Haniyeh’s family has been targeted
In November, the Israeli army said that its fighter jets had struck the residence of Hamas’ senior leader, Ismail Haniyeh, which they claimed at the time was being used as “terrorist infrastructure”.
In a message posted on Telegram at the time, it added that the residence had often served as a meeting point for senior leaders of Hamas. The BBC has not independently verified these claims.
In October, 14 members of Haniyeh’s family were reportedly killed in an Israeli air strike on a family home in Sheikh Radwan.
In an interview with Al Jazeera Arabic on Wednesday, Haniyeh said 60 members of his extended family had been killed in Israeli strikes.
