CAIRO: An Israeli air strike killed the son of Hamas’ chief negotiator in US-mediated talks over Gaza’s future, a senior Hamas official said on Thursday, as leaders of the group held talks in Cairo aimed at safeguarding their truce with Israel.

Azzam Al-Hayya, son of Khalil Al-Hayya, succumbed to his wounds on Thursday after being struck in an Israeli attack on Wednesday night, health and Hamas officials said. He was the fourth son of Hamas’ exiled Gaza chief to have been killed in Israeli attacks.

Later on Thursday, health officials and the Hamas-run interior ministry said at least three police officers were killed, and other people, including one policeman, were wounded when an Israeli airstrike targeted a police post in western Gaza City.

The Israeli military said it struck a Hamas command centre in the northern Gaza Strip, killing several militants who were inside it. The military added that militants were operating to “advance and carry out terror attacks” against Israeli forces and civilians.

Previous strikes killed three sons of Hayya

Hayya, who has seven children, has survived multiple Israeli attempts to kill him. An Israeli strike in Doha last year targeting Hamas leadership killed another son, though Hayya survived. Two other sons were killed in past Israeli attempts on his life, in Gaza strikes in 2008 and 2014.

Speaking to Al Jazeera after the attack on Wednesday night, before his son’s death was announced, Hayya accused Israel of trying to undermine mediators’ efforts to push ahead with US President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan, overseen by his so-called “Board of Peace”.

“These Zionist attacks and violations clearly indicate that the occupation does not want to abide by a ceasefire or by the first phase,” Hayya said.

Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2026