The leader of the Palestinian Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip and head of the radical group's negotiating delegation, Khalil al-Hayya, has appeared in public for the first time since September 9, when Israel struck his residence in Doha.
A video featuring al-Hayya was posted on Hamas' Telegram channel.
The video is said to have been broadcast on Qatari television channel Al Arabi. It is not known where or when the footage was filmed, but during the speech, the Hamas leader in Gaza mentioned the death of his son in the attack on the Qatari capital.
It has not yet been announced whether al-Hayya plans to lead the movement's delegation, which will travel to Cairo on October 6 for another round of indirect consultations with Israel.
A series of explosions rocked Doha on September 9. Shortly after, the Israeli army press service reported that the military, supported by the General Security Service and the air force, had carried out strikes against Hamas representatives. Majid bin Mohammed al-Ansari, an adviser to the Qatari prime minister and spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed that Israel was responsible for the attack. According to the UAE Ministry of Interior, 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 admitted that six people, including the son of Khalil al-Heija, were killed in the attack. On September 12, the militants officially announced that al-Heija was alive.
The newspaper “Asharq Al-Awsat“ claimed that two members of the movement's politburo were wounded in the Israeli strike, one of whom is in critical condition. Their names were not disclosed.