Five Palestinians, including a child, killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza City
Five people, including a child, were killed and 13 others injured in an Israeli airstrike on western Gaza City, according to the Palestinian territory’s Civil Defense on Tuesday.
For its part, the Israeli military announced that it targeted “leaders” within the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) who were planning attacks against its forces in the strip.
Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal told AFP, “At least five martyrs, including a child, and a large number of wounded, following an Israeli airstrike on displaced persons’ tents at Gaza Port.”
In a statement, the Israeli military said it “attacked leaders of the terrorist Hamas organization in the Shati area who had planned terrorist operations” against its forces.
It added that “the saboteurs had planned terrorist operations” against the army, and that they were targeted “from the air to eliminate the threat.”
Mohammed Al-Ghoul, an eyewitness to the strike, told AFP, “Suddenly, occupation aircraft fired two missiles at a café at the Fishermen’s Port in western Gaza City.”
He added, “A large number of martyrs and injuries occurred, and some victims fell into the port, and efforts are underway to retrieve them.”
The port area is crowded with thousands of tents housing displaced people due to the war between Israel and Hamas, which erupted after the group’s attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Tuesday’s strike came on a day when a Hamas spokesperson confirmed to AFP the group’s commitment to the US-backed Gaza ceasefire agreement, following talks between US envoy Jared Kushner and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu aimed at pressuring the group to disarm.
Spokesperson Hazem Qasim said, “Hamas is committed to this agreed-upon path,” adding, “It is clear that the occupation has not yet given the mediators a clear approval of the roadmap.”
Kushner met with Hamas leaders in Egypt on Sunday before traveling to Israel, where he met with Netanyahu, who recently announced his rejection of the plan.
According to an Israeli official, both sides agreed with Kushner that a US officer would oversee the handover of weapons.
Additionally, the “Peace Council,” chaired by US President Donald Trump and tasked with implementing the agreement, informed Netanyahu that Israel is not required to begin withdrawing from Gaza before Hamas is fully disarmed, as part of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement that has been in effect since October 10, 2025.
