Israeli military strikes kill senior Hamas operative and others as ceasefire tensions escalate
The Israeli Defense Forces conducted weekend airstrikes in Gaza that reportedly killed Abd al-Fattah Abu al-Aish, a Nukhba Force commander involved in the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, along with several other operatives. Israel claimed the targets were violating the ceasefire agreement by attempting to rebuild Hamas's military capabilities. The ceasefire, which has been in effect since October 2025, continues to face significant strain over disagreements regarding disarmament and the scope of Israeli military operations in Gaza.
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On Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces announced that weekend strikes in the Jabaliya area of the Gaza Strip had killed Abd al-Fattah Abu al-Aish, identified as a Nukhba Force commander who participated in the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, alongside another operative named Raed Alyan. According to reporting from the Times of Israel and the Media Line, a separate strike in Deir al-Balah killed a third operative whom the military accused of coordinating attacks on Israeli forces and civilians. The Israeli military further reported that two additional Nukhba Force members were killed in a subsequent strike in southern Gaza. Hamas did not immediately respond to the military's allegations. The Israeli military has consistently stated that such strikes target individuals it accuses of violating the ceasefire by working to reconstitute Hamas's military capabilities, though Hamas has previously disputed these accusations. Additional Israeli fire resulted in the deaths of three Palestinians in Gaza during the days preceding Sunday, reflecting ongoing friction regarding ceasefire implementation. The ceasefire, brokered with American involvement and implemented since October 2025, has been repeatedly characterised by mediators as fragile, with persistent disagreements centring on the pace of Hamas's promised disarmament and the frequency of Israeli military strikes within the Gaza Strip.
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