Israel Strikes Gaza City, Kills Hamas Military Wing Commander

Israeli forces conducted an air strike on a residential building in central Gaza City that killed the commander of Hamas' military wing, officials said on Saturday. Three eyewitnesses told the BBC that the building known as Al-Mu'taz was struck by three missiles launched simultaneously from two separate directions.

The strike sparked a large fire and rescue teams faced difficulties evacuating the wounded. One eyewitness reported that a body and several injured people were removed from the building. A second strike hit a car that had left the scene about 1.5 kilometres away.

Eyewitnesses and a local source said the vehicle may have been carrying the wounded commander after the initial attack. Armed members of Hamas dressed in civilian clothing were seen evacuating a severely wounded person and placing him in the vehicle before it was struck.

A joint statement described the target as one of the architects of the October 7 massacre and said he was responsible for the murder, kidnapping and injury of thousands of Israeli civilians and soldiers. Officials added that the individual had refused to implement an agreement led by the U.S. president to disarm Hamas and demilitarise Gaza.

" — Joint statement from Israeli officials (source) A senior Israeli security official said preliminary information indicated the target had been successfully hit.

The strike is the latest conducted by Israel in Gaza since a ceasefire took effect on 10 October. Hamas has repeatedly accused Israel of breaching the terms of the agreement and attacking civilians. Israeli officials maintain they have license to target Hamas members and accuse the group of refusing to disarm in violation of the ceasefire.

Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied that its commander was killed. The two-year war was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023 in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. More than 72,744 people have been killed in Gaza during the campaign according to the Hamas-run health ministry, including 857 since the ceasefire began.

US-led peace efforts have stalled since the start of the Iran war. The second phase of a plan announced in January called for governance of Gaza by a transitional technocratic administration along with demilitarisation and reconstruction. Talks on disarmament remain deadlocked while Hamas has reactivated its police force.

The ceasefire came after more than two years of conflict but both sides continue to accuse each other of violations. Israeli officials said they will continue to act forcefully against anyone who took part in the October 7 attack.