New footage broadcast early Sunday on Qatari television showed senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya for the first time since an Israeli airstrike in Doha last month that targeted a meeting of the terrorist group’s leaders.
In the pre-recorded video, aired by the Qatari channel Al-Araby, al-Hayya spoke about the dead in the Gaza Strip and described the Palestinian people’s struggle as a “sacrifice,” offering prayers for patience and victory.
“We grieve the loss of our people — women, children and the elderly,” he said. “We belong to one big family, the Palestinian people, especially the people of Gaza, who today represent the nation in their struggle and steadfastness. We ask God to grant patience, comfort and peace to our people, and to defeat our enemy,” he added.
The Israeli strike in Doha, dubbed Operation Summit of Fire, took place on Sept. 9. Three days after the attack, Hamas said al-Hayya survived the assassination attempt and that he had led funeral prayers for his son and other victims in Doha under special security arrangements. Hamas earlier acknowledged that al-Hayya’s son was killed and that his wife was wounded in the strike.
Al-Hayya’s appearance follows other public outings in Doha by Hamas figures who were also reported targets in the same operation. On Sept. 17, senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad — also said to have been targeted in Doha — gave his first public interview since the strike to Al Jazeera. “It is not only us who are the target but the entire nation,” he said, urging Arab states to stand firm against what he described as Israeli intentions to reshape the Middle East.
Three days earlier, on Sept. 14, another senior Hamas figure, Taher al-Nunu, who Israel also reportedly tried to kill in Doha, appeared in an interview on Al Jazeera. Footage showed him at close range and unharmed.