Deadly airstrikes in Gaza on Wednesday have raised further questions over US efforts to prop up the faltering ceasefire in Palestine.
Deadly airstrikes in Gaza on Wednesday have raised further questions about US efforts to advance the weakening ceasefire in Palestine. According to local hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent, US negotiators had asked Israel to reduce attacks in the Gaza Strip. But just two days later, 10 people died in two attacks on Wednesday. Israeli troops crossed the ceasefire line in southern Gaza and detained a Hamas police colonel early Wednesday, two witnesses and a Hamas official said.
attack targeting the commander
The Israeli military said an attack in Nusrat on Wednesday targeted a Hamas commander. He was involved in the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. About 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in that attack and 251 people were abducted. According to the Israeli military, the second attack, carried out in the Tufah area of Gaza City, targeted another Hamas commander who was planning an attack on Israeli soldiers.
What did the Red Crescent tell?
The Palestinian Red Crescent said nine people were killed and 15 others were injured in an attack on a police station in Gaza City on Wednesday. At the same time, one person died in Nusrat. Gaza’s health ministry said an Israeli attack on Tuesday evening targeted a busy seaside cafe, killing seven Palestinians, including a child. The Israeli military said Tuesday’s attack targeted a meeting of four Hamas commanders and other fighters. The army, however, did not reveal the names of the targeted commanders nor confirm whether they were killed.
What did Kushner say to Netanyahu
American negotiator and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner had a long meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. According to a person with knowledge of the meeting, Kushner asked the Israeli leader to reduce attacks in Gaza. Meanwhile, the Israeli military said on Wednesday it had completed a review of 150 cases related to the conduct of soldiers during the Gaza war. It will launch criminal investigations into the death of a five-year-old girl and her family and the deaths of 15 Palestinian health workers.
After Wednesday’s attacks, Hamas spokesman Hazim Qassim criticized the ‘Board of Peace’ created by Trump to monitor the ceasefire. He alleged that instead of enforcing the ceasefire agreement, this organization is providing cover to Israel to increase attacks in Gaza.
