Doha: Hamas political bureau member Suhail al-Hindi has confirmed that the group’s top leadership survived an Israeli airstrike on its political office in Qatar’s capital on Tuesday.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, al-Hindi said the attack struck during a high-level meeting where Hamas leaders were discussing U.S.-backed proposals for a Gaza ceasefire. Despite the intensity of the strike, the leadership remained unharmed.
He confirmed, however, that Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya’s son, Hammam al-Hayya, and the office’s director, Jihad Lubbad, were killed in the attack. Contact was also lost with three bodyguards, raising fears that they may also have been among the casualties.
“The Israeli assault deliberately targeted us while we were engaged in ceasefire consultations,” al-Hindi said, describing the strike as an attempt to sabotage peace efforts.
Earlier in the day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli military claimed responsibility for the attack, declaring that the operation was aimed at Hamas’s senior leadership abroad. The strike has sparked sharp regional reactions, with Qatar accusing Israel of violating its sovereignty.