The family of former Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh says more than 75 of its close members have been killed in the ongoing Gaza war with Israel. In an interview with Turkey’s Anadolu Agency marking the second anniversary of Haniyeh’s killing, his son Abdul Salam Haniyeh said nearly 250 members of their wider Al-Hajj clan had also died in the war.

Abdul Salam said a large portion of relatives shown in a family photograph hanging on the wall had been killed in Israeli attacks. On April 10, 2024, the day of Eid al-Fitr, an Israeli airstrike killed Haniyeh’s three sons, Hazem, Amir and Mohammad, along with their children. He described his father as a teacher, adviser, political leader and affectionate friend who urged his family to remain close to and serve ordinary people.

The report says Haniyeh was killed in Tehran on July 31, 2024, while attending the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. Abdul Salam praised Turkish political and humanitarian support for Palestinians and voiced hope in mediation by Egypt, Qatar and Turkey. Gaza’s Health Ministry put the war toll since October 2023 at 73,349 killed and 174,162 wounded.