CAIRO, October 5. /TASS/. The leader of the Palestinian Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip and head of the negotiating delegation, Khalil al-Heyya, appeared in public for the first time since September 9, when Israel struck his residence in Doha. A video of his speech was posted on the Hamas Telegram channel.
The video was allegedly broadcast on the Qatari television channel Al Araby. There is no information about where or when the footage was filmed, but during the speech, the Hamas leader in Gaza, in particular, spoke about the death of his son in the strike on the Qatari capital. There is no word yet on whether al-Heyya plans to lead the movement's delegation, which will travel to Cairo on October 6 for another round of indirect consultations with Israel.
On September 9, a series of explosions rocked Doha. Shortly thereafter, the Israeli army press service reported that the military, supported by the General Security Service and the Air Force, had targeted Hamas representatives. Adviser to the Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid bin Mohammed al-Ansari confirmed that Israel was responsible for the attack. According to the Emirati Interior Ministry, a security officer was killed and several others were wounded. Hamas denied media reports that members of the movement's negotiating delegation were killed, but acknowledged that six people, including Khalil al-Heyya's son, were killed in the attack. On September 12, the militants officially announced al-Heyya's survival.
The newspaper Asharq Al Awsat claimed that two members of the movement's politburo were wounded in the Israeli strike, one of whom was in critical condition. Their names were not mentioned.