IDF killed Walid Haniyeh, nephew of former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, military says

The Israeli military announced Saturday that it killed Walid Haniyeh, the nephew of former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, during an operation in Gaza. The military identified Haniyeh as the deputy commander of a Nukhba company and stated he commanded a terrorist cell during the October 7 infiltration of Israel.

According to the military, Haniyeh was involved in directing and providing operational instructions to the terrorist cell responsible for taking Israeli civilians hostage into the Gaza Strip. He had also recently been attempting to recruit new members into Hamas's ranks.

Ismail Haniyeh, Walid's uncle and a senior Hamas leader, was killed in July 2024. He had served as the chairman of Hamas's Political Bureau since 2017, working from Qatar to strengthen international relations with countries like Iran and Turkey. His assassination in Tehran had led to threats of retaliation against the U.S. and Israel.

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Haniyeh was involved in directing and providing operational instructions to the terrorist cell as they took Israeli civilians hostage into the Gaza Strip.