The Israeli military said it had conducted strikes across the northern Gaza Strip over the previous week, killing four members of Hamas’s military wing and destroying missile launchers used by the organization.
According to an Israeli military statement reported by The Jerusalem Post, the four men were members of the Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing. The military identified them as Sameh Abu Kamil, described as a Hamas platoon commander; Akram Ashraf Hamad Labad, described as a sniper; and Wael Mahmoud Ali and Muaz Mohammad Hassan Ahmad, described as anti-tank operatives.
The Israeli military said the four had been involved in advancing attacks against Israeli troops operating in the area. The report said the military also announced that it had struck and destroyed rocket launchers and launch shafts on Monday, in addition to the strikes that killed the four men. The same account said footage released by the military showed one of the strikes occurring near civilian traffic.
The announcement came amid continued reports of violence in Gaza despite a fragile ceasefire reached between Israel and Hamas in October. India Today, citing local health officials, reported that Israeli strikes and tank shelling across the Gaza Strip killed at least four Palestinians on Sunday, including a 13-year-old girl. The Israeli military said one of those strikes targeted a “Hamas terrorist,” while the report said it did not immediately respond to a request for comment about other attacks.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said a strike in Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza killed two people and wounded another, according to the India Today report. In southern Gaza, health officials at Nasser hospital said another Israeli strike killed a man. The hospital also said Eileen al-Farra, 13, was killed by shrapnel from Israeli tank shelling in southern Gaza.
Palestinians reported heavy tank shelling in different parts of the territory and the presence of quadcopters overhead, while the level of fighting remained below the heaviest phases of the war. Local officials have said people continue to be killed almost daily. Israel says it targets Hamas and other militants who present threats and that it acts in response to ceasefire violations.
India Today reported that Gaza’s Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, said Israel had killed more than 1,040 people in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect. The ministry’s figures do not separate civilians from militants, but it says women and children account for about half of those killed. The same report said Israel has stated that five of its soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire.
The war began after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and resulted in 251 people being taken hostage. Gaza’s Health Ministry says Israel’s offensive has killed more than 73,050 Palestinians, including deaths recorded since the ceasefire.
