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The Israeli navy introduced what it known as a exact operation to kill members of Hamas in Gaza on Thursday, a day after a strike there killed kinfolk of one of many group’s most senior leaders.
Ismail Haniyeh, who leads the political wing of Hamas from exile, mentioned three of his sons had been killed within the Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza on Wednesday. Hamas-affiliated media reported that three of Mr. Haniyeh’s grandchildren additionally have been killed within the assault.
On Thursday, Israel’s navy mentioned that its forces had carried out a “exact, intelligence-based operation” in central Gaza in a single day with fighter jets and floor troops to “remove terrorist operatives and strike terrorist infrastructure.”
It was not instantly clear whether or not the operation was associated to the strike a day earlier in opposition to Mr. Haniyeh’s sons, who the Israeli navy mentioned had been “on their solution to perform terrorist actions in central Gaza.” It didn’t present additional particulars, and the navy’s claims couldn’t be verified.
The Israeli navy mentioned that the three Haniyeh sons it killed — Amir, Mohammad and Hazem — have been energetic in Hamas’s navy operations, Amir as a cell commander and his brothers as lower-level operatives. One of many brothers was additionally concerned in holding hostages, the Israeli navy mentioned, with out specifying which one.
The strike got here as worldwide negotiators work to dealer a cease-fire in Gaza and safe the discharge of hostages held within the enclave. These talks have stalled over disagreements concerning the particulars, with a senior Hamas official saying Wednesday that the group didn’t have 40 dwelling hostages who met the factors for an trade underneath the proposal being mentioned.
Whereas Mr. Haniyeh is one among Hamas’s most senior officers, analysts mentioned that his sons have been much less integral to the operation — and that their killings appeared primarily aimed toward sending a message to the group’s management amid cease-fire negotiations.
“His son’s names usually are not often floated round while you speak about seniority in Hamas, whether or not it’s the political or navy wing,” mentioned Tahani Mustafa, a senior analyst on the Worldwide Disaster Group, a suppose tank.
Ms. Mustafa mentioned that the timing of the strike made it seem to be an effort to derail the talks.
However Bilal Saab, an affiliate fellow within the Center East and North Africa program at Chatham Home, mentioned the strike might have been supposed to placate a home viewers after six months of warfare, or to offer Israel leverage within the talks.
“It’s a political win for Israel greater than the rest,” Mr. Saab mentioned, including: “This was successful meant to strain Hamas to make concessions on the hostage negotiations.”
Mr. Haniyeh mentioned Wednesday that Israel was “delusional if it thinks that by killing my kids, we’ll change our positions” in negotiations.
Energetic combating in Gaza has ebbed to its lowest level since November. Israel withdrew troops from southern Gaza over the weekend, however mentioned the navy would keep in different elements of Gaza to protect its “freedom of motion and its potential to conduct exact intelligence-based operations.”
The navy’s said emphasis on precision comes as worldwide criticism of the warfare in Gaza intensifies over the rising Palestinian dying toll and warnings of famine.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has mentioned {that a} date has been set for a floor invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza, an operation U.S. officers have warned can be catastrophic for civilians. Some analysts have urged that his threats are bluster or makes an attempt at gaining leverage within the cease-fire negotiations.
The Biden administration has urged Mr. Netanyahu to shelve the invasion plans and concentrate on “different approaches that might goal the important thing components of Hamas.”
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