Sister of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh killed in Israeli strike on Gaza

Thirteen Palestinians were killed on Tuesday, including the sister of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, when Israel bombed the family home in the Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City.

Witnesses told the Anadolu news agency that Israeli planes completely destroyed the Haniyeh family home and killed 10 family members with the death toll later raised to 13.

Further Israeli strikes targeted other parts of the Shati refugee camp including two schools used as shelters in the Al-Daraj area of Gaza, Anadolu reported, killing more people.

Civil Defence crews searched the ruins of the bombed house on Tuesday for survivors with one of the dead identified as Zuhur Abdul Salam Haniyeh, Ismail Haniyeh's sister.

The Israeli army claimed it had "bombed two houses used by Hamas elements" without referring to Haniyeh's family.

On 10 April, another Israeli strike killed three of Haniyeh's sons - Hazem, Amir, and Muhammad - and several of his grandchildren, as they were travelling by car inside the camp.

Haniyeh’s eldest grandson Jamal and his youngest granddaughter Rua Humam were killed by Israeli airstrikes in November.

Another of Haniyeh's sisters, Sabah, who holds Israeli citizenship and lives in Beersheba, was detained by Israel on 21 April but later released and placed under house arrest.

Haniyeh, who heads Hamas's political bureau, lives in exile in Qatar.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed over 37,600 people, mostly women and children, and injured more than 85,000 more. The territory has been completely devastated by Israel’s indiscriminate strikes, which have targeted residential areas, schools, hospitals, and other civilian facilities.