Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya appears for first time since Israel's attack in Doha

Senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya has spoken publicly for the first time since surviving an assassination attempt in Qatar nearly a month ago. His prerecorded interview was aired on Sunday morning by the Qatari channel Al-Araby.

In the interview, al-Hayya recounted the attack that claimed several lives, including that of his son.

“The pain of losing those close to me does not erase the killing and destruction in the Gaza Strip,” he said, expressing solidarity with all Palestinians who have lost loved ones.

He emphasised that he saw no difference between his own family’s loss and the suffering of other Palestinians. “I make no distinction between my sons and any Palestinian child killed by Israel,” he added.

Calling those killed “martyrs,” al-Hayya described their deaths as a source of motivation for continued resistance. “We pray that their blood will be the path to victory, to Jerusalem, to Israel’s humiliation, and to the triumph of the Islamic and Arab nation,” he said, as quoted by Al-Araby.

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The attack took place last month in the Katara district of Doha, where explosions were reported. A senior Israeli official later confirmed that the strike had targeted Hamas figures in Qatar, including al-Hayya and Zaher Jabarin.

According to a Hamas source, al-Hayya’s son and his chief of staff were among those killed in the incident.

Palestinian sources said the attack occurred while members of the Hamas leadership were meeting to discuss the Trump framework. A senior Hamas official told Al Jazeera that the group’s negotiating team had been in session in Doha when the explosions took place.