Fear over hostage talks after Israel kills Hamas leader’s sons

Families of hostages being held in Gaza have expressed losing hope over talks to secure their release, after the Israeli military killed the relatives of Hamas’s political leader in an air strike.

Ismail Haniyeh’s three sons – Hazem, Amir and Mohammad – were killed when the car they were driving in was targeted in Israeli air strikes in Gaza’s al-Shati camp, Hamas said.

Four of Mr Haniyeh’s grandchildren, three girls and a boy, were also killed in the attack on Wednesday, the group added.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed carrying out the attack, describing the sons as operatives in Hamas’s armed wing who were “en route” to carry out military activity in central Gaza. It said there was “no information on that right now” when asked on Wednesday about the grandchildren killed in the strike.

The attack risks complicating negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for the return of about 133 Israeli hostages thought to be held by Hamas.

Some analysts said that the timing of the attack made it seem like an effort to derail the talks.

“Netanyahu does not want a deal. There’s no mystery here,” Daniel Levy, president of the US/Middle East Project and a former senior adviser in the Israeli prime minister’s office, told i.

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“But I don’t think he had to do this to prevent a deal. The Hamas position isn’t going to be pressured to compromise more as a consequence of this. The position will probably not harden as a consequence of this, either.”

Mr Haniyeh, who is based in Qatar, accused Israel of acting in “the spirit of revenge and murder” but said Hamas would not withdraw its demands, which include a permanent ceasefire and a return of displaced Palestinians to their homes.

“Anyone who believes that targeting my sons will push Hamas to change its position is delusional,” Mr Haniyeh said.

Mr Levy said the attack has the potential to further fuel dissent among the Israeli population against Mr Netanyahu and his handling of the war.

He said one family of a Gaza hostage commented: “This is probably the day we gave up hope.”

Mr Levy added: “Killing grandchildren when you’re supposed to be getting the hostages out, that has the whiff of desperation.”

On Thursday, the IDF said that it carried out a “precise, intelligence-based operation” with fighter jets and ground troops in central Gaza overnight to “eliminate terrorist operatives and strike terrorist infrastructure”. It was unclear whether the operation was connected to the attack against Mr Haniyeh’s sons.

The Times of Israel, citing the IDF and Israel’s domestic security agency Shin Bet, reported that Amir Haniyeh was a squad commander in the Hamas military wing, while Hazem and Mohammad were lower-ranking operatives.

Some Israeli media reports, citing senior officials, have suggested Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Yoav Gallant were not informed in advance of the strike. Neither Mr Netanyahu or Mr Gallant have publicly commented on the reports.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Mr Haniyeh said his three sons and grandchildren were on their way to visit relatives to celebrate the first day of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr in the Gaza City camp.

Under international humanitarian law, also known as the law of war or the law of armed conflict, civilians are protected from attack “but lose that protection whenever they take a direct part in hostilities”.

According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the law states people who have non-combat functions in armed groups, including political or administrative roles, “may not be targeted at any time unless and only for such time as they, like any other civilian, directly participate in the hostilities”.

Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine director at HRW, claimed that Mr Haniyeh’s family members were not legitimate targets.

“Relatives of combatants that are not involved in the fighting are civilians,” he wrote on X. “Even political leaders — if uninvolved in military ops — are not legitimate targets under laws of war.

“Deliberate attacks on civilians are heinous war crimes that have no justification. Ever.”