Hamas official says he feels no distinction between his children and those killed in Gaza.
Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official, has spoken publicly in a prerecorded interview that aired on Sunday morning on Al-Araby for the first time since a failed assassination attempt in Qatar nearly a month ago. During the interview with the Qatari broadcaster, al-Hayya described the attack and the deaths that occurred, including that of his son.
“The pain of losing those close to me does not erase the killing and destruction in the Gaza Strip,” al-Hayya said.
He added that he made no distinction between his family members and other Palestinian casualties.
“I make no distinction between my sons and any Palestinian child killed by Israel,” he said.
Al-Hayya praised those killed as martyrs and framed their deaths as a source of inspiration for continued resistance.
Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya sits at a mourning house for assassinated Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Doha, Qatar, August 2, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA)
“We pray that their blood will be the path to victory, to Jerusalem, to Israel’s humiliation, and to the triumph of the Islamic and Arab nation,” he said, according to the Al-Araby broadcast.
Strike reported during Hamas leadership meeting
The incident occurred last month when explosions were reported in the Katara district of Doha. A senior Israeli official later confirmed that Israel had targeted Hamas leadership figures in Qatar, including al-Hayya and Zaher Jabarin.
A senior Hamas source said that al-Hayya’s son and his chief of staff were killed in the attack.
According to Palestinian sources, the strike took place while members of Hamas’s leadership were meeting to discuss the Trump framework. A senior Hamas official told Al Jazeera that the negotiating team had convened in Doha when the attack occurred.
The Saudi broadcaster Al-Hadath reported that Khaled Mashaal, Ghazi Hamad, Muhammad Darwish, Mousa Abu Marzouk, and Husam Badran were also present at the meeting.
No senior leaders killed in operation
Despite the scope of the operation, Israeli defense officials later concluded that none of the senior Hamas leaders targeted had been eliminated.