In its first official statement since an Israeli airstrike on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, the terror group acknowledges that 5 of its members were killed, but claims that Israel failed in what it called an attempt to assassinate the group’s ceasefire negotiation team.
According to the statement, the dead are Himam al-Hayya, son of Hamas leader in Gaza Khalil al-Hayya; Jihad Labad Abu Bilal, Khalil al-Hayya’s office director; and three “associates” — apparently bodyguards or advisers to senior Hamas officials — Abdullah Abu Khalil, Muaman Abu Omar, and Ahmad Abu Malek.
In the statement, Hamas said that the attack on the delegation while it was discussing the American ceasefire proposal “proves that Netanyahu and his government are not interested in reaching any agreement.”
Hamas, which has sometimes only confirmed the assassination of its leaders months later, offered no immediate proof that its top leaders had survived.
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From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, September 9, 2025
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