3 Sons of Hamas leader Haniyeh Killed in Israeli Airstrike

Three sons of head of Hamas's political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, the Palestinian Islamist group and Haniyeh's family said.

The Israeli military confirmed it carried out the attack and described the three sons as operatives in the Hamas armed wing.

The three sons - Hazem, Amir and Mohammad - were killed when the car they were driving in was bombed in Gaza's Al-Shati camp, and four of Haniyeh's grandchildren, three girls and a boy, were also killed in the attack, Hamas said.

At least three of Haniyeh’s grandchildren were also killed as well as the driver, according to a journalist working for CNN in Gaza.

The Israeli military said there was "no information on that right now" about the four grandchildren killed in the airstrike.

The Hamas-run said Wednesday that the Haniyeh family had been “carrying out social and family visits on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr,” before the vehicle was struck.

Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan and is one of the most important holidays in the Islamic calendar.

In a statement, Haniyeh  said killing the sons of leaders would only make Hamas “more steadfast in our principles and adherence to our land.”

“Whoever thinks that by targeting my kids during the negotiation talks and before a deal is agreed upon that it will force Hamas to back down on its demands, is delusional,” Haniyeh added.

He affirmed, "The blood of my sons is not dearer than the blood of our people,".

Two Israeli officials said neither Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had been told about the strike ahead of time. 

More than 33,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. 

CIA Director Bill Burns has presented a new proposal to try to bridge the gaps in ongoing negotiations to broker a deal to bring about a ceasefire and the release of the Israeli hostages. 

The latest US proposal was made in Cairo over the weekend and includes pushing Israel to release a higher number of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the expected 40 Israeli hostages who would be freed during the first phase of a three-stage ceasefire deal.