Israel Says Airstrike Targeted Hamas Commander Planning Attacks On Troops In Gaza

An Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza targeted a Hamas commander who was allegedly planning attacks on Israeli troops, the Israeli military said, as a fragile ceasefire continued to face fresh violence.

The strike hit Beit Lahiya on Wednesday and was the first Israeli airstrike in Gaza in more than a week. Israel said the target was the head of a Hamas cell who was planning attacks on its forces. The military said the strike was carried out to remove the threat to its troops.

Palestinian medics and witnesses said the strike hit a three wheeled vehicle near the Western Roundabout. Gaza’s Civil Defence agency said one person was killed and five others were wounded. The dead man was identified as Mohanad Saada, who was reportedly part of a municipal team returning from work on a damaged water well.

The Israeli military did not name the Hamas commander. It said Israeli forces would remain in Gaza under the Southern Command as allowed by the ceasefire agreement and would continue acting against what it calls immediate threats.

The strike came after Israel reduced major attacks amid US pressure to follow President Donald Trump’s latest plan to end the Gaza war. However, other violence was reported. A drone attack in Khan Younis wounded a father and critically injured his 13 year old son, while shelling was reported near the Bureij refugee camp.

Israeli fire has killed more than 1,250 Palestinians in Gaza since the US backed ceasefire began in October, Palestinian officials say. Most were civilians. Four Israeli soldiers have also been killed by militants during the same period, according to Israel.

The wider tensions also reached the occupied West Bank. In Qusra, Israeli settlers have surrounded three Palestinian homes, cutting residents off from food, water and electricity. One of the homes belongs to a Palestinian American family.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called the siege a “horrific act of terror” and said there was no excuse for the settlers’ actions. Israeli forces said they dismantled two illegal outposts near Qusra and Jalud and detained one Israeli.

The latest Gaza strike and the unrest in Qusra show that violence continues despite the ceasefire, adding pressure on efforts to end the war and keep the truce in place.