On Wednesday, the Palestinian leader and Israel’s military stated that an Israeli strike in Gaza killed three of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh’s sons, as war rages in the Palestinian territory amid ongoing truce talks.
Hamas alleged in a statement that the air strike killed three of Haniyeh’s sons and four of his grandchildren.
Israel confirmed the killings, saying the boys were Hamas operatives who were on their way to carry out terrorist activities.
The incident occurred while talks in Cairo aimed at a truce and a hostage release deal dragged on without signs of a breakthrough.
Haniyeh said that the strike was an attempt to modify Hamas’s negotiating stance, but it would not work.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden said Hamas needs to move on the new truce request, which the Palestinian group has stated it was examining.
The US has also increased pressure on Israel to agree to a truce, boost the amount of aid allowed into the besieged Gaza Strip, and abandon plans to raid the southern city of Rafah.
Biden called Israel’s handling of the war a mistake in an interview broadcast on Tuesday, before warning on Wednesday that it was not allowing enough aid into the zone.
As Israeli forces continued to conduct military operations and air strikes in the Gaza Strip, Muslims gathered to worship among the ruins of the six-month war on the first day of Eid al-Fitr which marks the conclusion of Ramadan.
According to Israeli estimates, the war began when Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7, killing 1,170 people, mostly civilians.
Palestinian militants also kidnapped approximately 250 hostages, 129 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 who the Israeli army claims are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 33,482 individuals in Gaza, the majority of whom are women and children.
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