Israeli forces killed Azzam al-Haya, son of prominent Hamas official Khalil al-Haya, in an airstrike on eastern Gaza, Hamas announced Thursday. The death was initially reported separately by Saudi media and Al Jazeera, with conflicting accounts about whether he was killed or severely wounded.

A military spokesperson denied that the younger al-Haya was the intended target of the operation. “Khalil al-Haya’s son is of no interest to us, and if he was harmed, it was because he was somewhere he should not have been,” the source stated.

The airstrike targeted a Hamas Nukhba Battalion operative in the Daraj Tuffah area of Gaza City. Azzam al-Haya, who was in the vicinity, was killed or wounded as collateral damage during the operation, according to the military account.

The IDF classified al-Haya as a supporter and facilitator of terrorist activities rather than an active member of the Nukhba Battalion, contradicting initial reports circulated following the strike.

The incident follows a previous Israeli attempt to eliminate Khalil al-Haya himself through a strike targeting a Hamas leadership meeting in Qatar. That operation failed to hit its intended targets. The Qatar meeting included multiple senior Hamas figures discussing a Trump administration proposal for resolving the conflict.

The developments coincide with Hamas conducting internal elections for its political leadership structure. Al-Araby reported that voting for a new Gaza-based political leader has concluded, though the selection has not been publicly announced.
The appointment would take effect if al-Haya is elevated to head Hamas’s overall political bureau, a position he currently holds in Gaza. The organization still must complete elections for its West Bank political leader and representatives among its international branches.

The race for overall political bureau chief pits al-Haya, a Gaza native with ties to Iran, against Khaled Mashaal, viewed as more aligned with Arab states and Turkey. An announcement is expected this week.

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