Elite Israeli Town Stunned as Hamas Leader’s Relatives Buy Luxury House

The quiet, tree-lined streets of Omer, one of Israel’s most exclusive towns, have been shaken by a sale that many residents describe as nothing short of betrayal. A spacious villa on Tapuz Street, sold for roughly six million shekels, is now rumored to belong to relatives of Ismail Haniyeh, the late Hamas chief assassinated in Iran last year.

A source close to the seller confirmed the buyers are indeed members of Haniyeh’s extended family, who live in the Bedouin town of Tel Sheva. “They are a normative branch,” the source stressed. “They run a large business, are not involved in crime or terrorism.” But in Omer, that distinction has not calmed the storm.

Residents in revolt

The deal touched raw nerves in a community already anxious about changing demographics. “For a few extra shekels they sold us out, our children in the parks, in the classrooms, in every corner of this town,” one mother wrote in the local Facebook group. “This is the end of mutual responsibility, the end of trust. Betrayal from within.”

Her post went viral among neighbors, drawing dozens of angry comments: “Everything may be legal, but it is not logical. Where are the leaders who are supposed to protect us?”

Not an isolated case

Veteran residents say the sale is part of a broader pattern. “A few years ago, a house on my street was sold to a man from Hebron married to a woman from Tel Sheva,” one local recalled. “Since then we’ve had drive-by shootings, a bomb planted in a car, even a grenade thrown into their yard. It’s not just one house, it’s happening all over.” Estimates suggest 30 to 40 Arab families now live in Omer.