Three sons of Hamas' top political leader have been killed by an Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip.
Ismail Haniyeh confirmed the deaths of his sons in an interview with Al Jazeera.
He said his sons "were martyred on the road to liberating Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque."
"The criminal enemy is driven by the spirit of revenge and murder and does not value any standards or laws," he said in the phone interview.
He lives in exile in Qatar where Al Jazeera is based.
Hamas said his three sons — Hazem, Amir and Mohammad — were killed after the car they were driving in was bombed in Gaza's Al-Shati camp.
Hamas media added that three of Mr Haniyeh's grandchildren were also killed in the attack and a third was wounded.
Relatives said the group were making family visits during the first day of the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday.
The Israeli military said the men conducted militant activity in central Gaza, without elaborating.
Several media reports and Hamas statements gave varying death tolls for the strike.
The incident comes as international mediators have been trying to broker a new ceasefire agreement.
Mr Haniyeh said the killings would not pressure Hamas into softening its position in the negotiations.
"The enemy believes that by targeting the families of the leaders, it will push them to give up the demands of our people," he said.
"Anyone who believes that targeting my sons will push Hamas to change its position is delusional.
"The blood of my sons is not dearer than the blood of our people."
Earlier, Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz claimed Hamas has been defeated militarily — but also said Israel will fight against it for years to come.
Speaking to media in Sderot, Mr Gantz said that "from a military point of view, Hamas is defeated ... its fighters are eliminated or in hiding" and its capabilities had been "crippled".
"Fighting against Hamas will take time. Boys who are now in middle school will still fight in the Gaza Strip," he added.
He reiterated the Israeli's government controversial commitment to go into Rafah, where more than half the territory's population is now sheltering.
The strike against Mr Haniyeh's sons came as Palestinians in Gaza marked a muted Eid al-Fitr holiday ending the holy fasting month of Ramadan, visiting the graves of loved ones killed in the war.
Appointed to the militant group's top job in 2017, Mr Haniyeh has moved between Turkey and Qatar's capital Doha, avoiding Israeli-imposed travel restrictions in blockaded Gaza and enabling him to act as a negotiator in the latest ceasefire negotiations or communicate with Hamas' main ally Iran.
Israel regards the entire Hamas leadership as terrorists, accusing Mr Haniyeh and other leaders of continuing to "pull the strings of the Hamas terror organisation".
But how much Mr Haniyeh knew about the October 7 cross-border attack on Israel by Gaza-based militants beforehand is not clear.
The attack plan, drawn up by the Hamas military council in Gaza, was such a closely guarded secret that some Hamas officials abroad seemed shocked by its timing and scale.
'What he's doing is a mistake'
The rift between the United States and Israel continued to widen on Wednesday local time, with US President Joe Biden again criticising Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the war.
"What he's doing is a mistake. I don't agree with his approach," Mr Biden told Spanish-language broadcaster Univision when asked if Mr Netanyahu was prioritising his political survival over Israel's interest.
The interview was recorded two days after six aid workers were killed by IDF air strikes — actions which Israel said were "grave mistakes".
The US president's support for Israel has weakened amid ongoing concerns about aid access to the territory and its plans to invade Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians are sheltering.
Israel says its has opened up more entry points for trucks to enter and reach especially hard-hit areas like northern Gaza, an early target of Israel in the war.
Israel also accuses aid groups of being too slow to deliver aid once it is inside Gaza.
Aid groups say logistical issues and the precarious security situation — underscored by the strikes on aid workers — complicate deliveries.
Gaza's health ministry said on Wednesday that more than 33,400 Palestinians had been killed since October 7.
AP/Reuters/ABC
