JERUSALEM: Israel’s State Attorney on Sunday indicted the sister of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on charges of incitement and showing solidarity with a terror group, after she allegedly praised Hamas’ Oct 7 raid that sparked the Israeli aggression in Gaza.

Sabah al-Salem Haniyeh, 57, lives in the southern Israeli town of Tel Sheva. Her brother is based in Qatar, as are other officials from Hamas, the group that rules the Gaza Strip.

Haniyeh has been held in custody since her arrest on April 1, Israel’s justice ministry said. There was no immediate comment from her lawyer.

According to the indictment, in the days after Hamas’ Oct 7 raid in southern Israel, Haniyeh sent messages to dozens of contacts, including to her brother, praising the cross-border assault and calling for further “slaughter”.

One of her messages mentioned in the indictment allegedly includes the line: “Oh God, count them and kill them and don’t leave any of them, Oh God.”

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2024