THREE SONS OF HAMAS LEADER DEAD IN STRIKE

Haniyeh says the killings 'will harden our resolve'

- CHRIS HUGHES

THREE sons of Hamas's Supreme Leader have been killed in an Israeli airstrike, along with three of his granddaughters and a grandson.

Ismail Haniyeh's relatives were targeted as they travelled in a vehicle close to their home near the al-Shiti refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.

Confirming the deaths yesterday, Haniyeh said his sons "were martyred on the road to liberating Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque".

He added of Israel: "The criminal enemy is driven by the spirit of revenge and murder and does not value any standards or laws."

The Hamas leader said the killings "will harden our resolve".

He continued: "I am grateful to God for the honour he has given me in the deaths of my three children and my grandchildren.

"My sons were awarded this honour. They remained with our Palestinian people in Gaza, did not leave and did not run."