The Israeli police announced the arrest of Ismail Haniyeh’s sister, the head of Hamas’s political bureau, in Tel Sheva, in the Negev Desert in southern Israel, on charges related to “terrorism.” Sabah Abdul Salam Haniyeh, 57, is being held in Tel Sheva and is under investigation by the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet). The police suspect her involvement with Hamas activists, membership in the organization, incitement, and supporting terrorist activities. During the operation, documents, media, phones, and other evidence linking her to security offenses were seized.
Ismail Haniyeh, who resides in Doha, has two sisters living in southern Israel, who hold Israeli citizenship through marriage to Israeli Arabs. The police found documents and other items in Sabah Haniyeh’s home that are linked to committing serious security crimes against the State of Israel.
Israel and Hamas in Gaza have been engaged in a devastating war since October 7. The war broke out following a Hamas attack on southern Israel, killing 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli official figures. About 250 people were kidnapped during the attack, with 130 still held captive in Gaza, and 34 believed to have died according to Israeli estimates. Israel has vowed to “eliminate” Hamas and has since launched intensive bombings and a ground attack on October 27, resulting in approximately 32,800 deaths, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
Furthermore, the Gaza Health Ministry reported that the Israeli military has withdrawn from the Al-Shifa medical complex in Gaza, after a military operation lasting two weeks in the facility and its surrounding neighborhoods, resulting in “very significant” destruction and “dozens of bodies” being recovered. The military had previously announced a “precise” military operation in the largest medical complex in the territory on March 18, following intelligence information about the presence of “senior Hamas terrorists” in the area. This was the second military operation in this hospital since the outbreak of the Gaza war against Hamas on October 7, 2023.
