The son of Hamas' chief negotiator has died after being wounded in an Israeli strike on Gaza, the militant group confirmed on Thursday. Azzam al-Hayya, 32, was injured in a strike on Gaza City that also killed another individual and left several others wounded. The Israeli military has not commented on the incident.
Khalil al-Hayya, who leads Hamas' ceasefire negotiations, is based abroad. His son's death comes amid ongoing tensions following a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in October that halted major military operations but left key stipulations unresolved. These include the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of an international stabilization force, and Israel's full withdrawal from Gaza. Both sides have accused each other of violating the agreement.
Hamas accused Israel of attempting to pressure negotiators through targeted killings. It remains unclear whether Azzam was the intended target. In remarks to Al Jazeera after his son was wounded, Khalil al-Hayya stated that if his son was targeted, "it would be an honor to me, to him, and to all Palestinians." He also reiterated that Hamas would only discuss the second phase of the ceasefire after Israel fulfills the first phase, which includes a cessation of hostilities and increased humanitarian aid.
Israeli strikes have previously killed several top Hamas leaders and their family members. Another son of al-Hayya, Hammam, was killed in an Israeli strike in Qatar in September. Tasnim al-Hayya, Khalil's daughter, speaking from Shifa Hospital in Gaza, said her father would not be swayed by the deaths of his children. "We are like all our people. Everyone has suffered and everyone has sacrificed. We are one of them," she said.
Since Israel launched its offensive in response to Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack, which killed around 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, over 72,000 people have been killed in Gaza. Palestinians continue to face severe daily hardships, including water shortages and rodent infestations in tent camps.
Meanwhile, relatives of three people killed in a separate Israeli strike on Wednesday gathered at Shifa Hospital to say final goodbyes. The family had just moved out of a school shelter and were setting up new tents when the strike hit, killing a man, his son, and his nephew, according to relative Yahiya Kishko.
