Gaza city: The son of Hamas leader in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya, has been critically injured in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, according to the Palestinian group. Late Wednesday, Hamas reported the incident, which has added to the ongoing tensions in the region.
According to Anadolu Agency, Khalil al-Hayya mentioned in remarks to Al Jazeera that Hamza al-Sharbasi was killed in the strike on Gaza City's Daraj neighborhood, while his son Azzam and several others sustained severe injuries. Al-Hayya condemned the attack, describing it as part of a broader Israeli aggression against Palestinians aimed at pressuring Palestinian negotiators through "killing, terror, and intimidation."
Al-Hayya suggested that the political motive behind the strike was to coerce Palestinian negotiators and leaders into submission by indicating that neither they nor their families were immune to targeting. He refrained from explicitly confirming whether his son was the intended target but criticized Israel's handling of such operations, arguing that they claim successes and create justifications for failures. He emphasized that these attacks would not diminish the resolve of Palestinians to remain on their land and resist surrender.
Further accusations were made by al-Hayya regarding Israel's non-compliance with the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, highlighting the deaths of over 850 Palestinians and thousands of injuries in the past seven months, compounded by starvation and restricted aid deliveries. Hamas has been submitting daily reports on ceasefire violations to mediators, urging particularly the United States to exert pressure on Israel to honor the agreement.
The incident occurred just hours after five Palestinians, including a police officer, were killed and several others injured in Israeli strikes targeting civilian areas and a police vehicle in northern and southern Gaza. These actions are seen as continued violations of the ceasefire agreement, prompting Hamas to call on the US and other mediators to step in and halt the offensive.
The Sharm el-Sheikh ceasefire agreement, established in October 2025 under Egyptian, US, Qatari, and Turkish sponsorship, went into effect on October 10. Despite this, Israel's continued violations have resulted in the deaths of 837 Palestinians and injuries to 2,381 others, as reported by Gaza's Health Ministry. The ceasefire followed a two-year Israeli war beginning in October 2023, which claimed more than 72,000 Palestinian lives, injured over 172,000, and devastated roughly 90% of Gaza's civilian infrastructure.