An Israeli airstrike killed Izz al-Din Al-Beik, the commander of Hamas’ armed wing in northern Gaza, Israeli and Palestinian officials said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military had targeted Mr Beik, whom they accused of helping plan attacks and recruit fighters.
- Advertisement -
Hamas confirmed his death in the strike, which medics said hit an apartment building in Gaza’s Nasr neighbourhood at around dawn.
Health officials said another person later died from wounds sustained in the attack.
Israeli strikes killed at least two Palestinians and wounded several others in two separate attacks in Gaza yesterday, health officials in the enclave said.
Medics said a woman was killed when an Israeli strike hit the rooftop of a building in Gaza. Her husband and several other people were wounded.
A second strike killed another woman and wounded others in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, officials said.
The Israeli military said it had struck a militant in Nuseirat but provided no further details.
Israel’s military says it has killed at least 20 Hamas figures this month, including people it identified as senior commanders, participants in the 7 October 2023 attacks or individuals involved in holding Israeli hostages.
Hamas has denied attempting to launch attacks or rebuild its weapons arsenal, accusing Israel of undermining the Gaza agreement.
A US-brokered ceasefire reached last year envisages the eventual reconstruction of the territory.
However, negotiations have made little headway, with the parties unable to settle terms for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw its forces. Israeli airstrikes have continued despite the truce.
At least 1,400 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire began, according to health officials in the territory. The Israeli military says four Israeli soldiers have died.
Palestinian authorities say more than 73,000 people have been killed in Israel’s assault on Gaza, which began after Hamas-led fighters killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel in October 2023.
