An Israeli air strike has killed the son of Hamas chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official said on Thursday, as discussions over Gaza’s future continue under a U.S.-mediated peace framework involving a so-called “Board of Peace.”
Azzam Al-Hayya died on Thursday from wounds sustained in an Israeli strike the previous night, according to senior Hamas official Basim Naim. He is the fourth son of Khalil Al-Hayya, Hamas’ exiled Gaza leader, to be killed in Israeli attacks.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment to Reuters.
Khalil Al-Hayya, who has been involved in negotiations over Gaza’s post-war arrangements, has previously survived multiple Israeli assassination attempts. One of his sons was killed in a strike in Doha last year, while two others were killed in earlier attacks in Gaza in 2008 and 2014.
Speaking to Al Jazeera after Wednesday’s strike but before his son’s death was confirmed, Al-Hayya accused Israel of undermining mediation efforts tied to the U.S.-backed Gaza plan overseen by President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace.”
“These Zionist attacks and violations clearly indicate that the occupation does not want to abide by a ceasefire or by the first phase,” he said.
The latest escalation comes as Hamas leaders and other Palestinian factions hold talks in Cairo with regional mediators and U.S. envoy Nickolay Mladenov, aimed at advancing the next phase of the Gaza plan.
The agreement, first reached in October, envisions the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the start of reconstruction in exchange for Hamas laying down its weapons. However, disarmament remains a key point of contention in ongoing negotiations.
A Hamas official said the group has told mediators it will not engage in serious talks on the second phase until Israel fully implements obligations from the first stage, including a complete halt to military operations.
According to local medical sources, at least 830 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire agreement came into effect, while Israel says four of its soldiers have been killed during the same period.
