GAZA: An Israeli air strike killed the head of Hamas' armed wing in north Gaza on Tuesday, officials on both sides said, with the group describing him as a leader of the October 7, 2023 attack that precipitated war in the Palestinian enclave.
Israel's government said its military had targeted and killed Izz Al Din al Beik, who they said was involved in planning attacks and recruiting. Hamas confirmed his death. Medics said the Israeli strike hit an apartment building in Gaza City's Nasr neighbourhood around dawn. A second person died from wounds after the attack, health officials said.
Later on Tuesday, an Israeli air strike near a medical clinic in Jabalia refugee camp killed one person, taking the day's death toll to at least three, medics said. The military said it had targeted a militant in the area.
Israel, which says Hamas has been rearming and launching attacks in violation of an October ceasefire, has stepped up strikes on the group in recent weeks. The Israeli military says it has killed at least 20 Hamas figures this month, including some it identified as senior commanders, people who took part in the October 7, 2023, attacks or those who held Israeli hostages. Hamas has denied trying to carry out attacks or rebuild its arsenal and accuses Israel of undermining the Gaza peace deal.
MASS FUNERAL
Also on Tuesday, Palestinians in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza buried the remains of 41 people killed by Israeli fire nearly three years ago. Their bodies were recently recovered from ruins. Hundreds of relatives and friends gathered in an open space to pay respect as the remains were placed in white shrouds decorated by Palestinian flags.
"There are mixed feelings between relief, sadness, and pain. The fire in my heart has eased a little, because my husband now has a grave that my orphaned children and I can visit," said Areej Farajallah, who lost her husband in the October 31, 2023 strike.
Palestinian authorities estimate more than 8,000 bodies remain buried in wreckage. A Palestinian recovery team that combed wreckage in Gaza City last month said it found the remains of 112 people from the same clan. "With minimal equipment, their remains were recovered after hours of work, retrieving what was left of bones, some skulls, and hair with which it is extremely difficult for us to identify them," said Rami al Ayedi, of Gaza's Civil Defence Service.
Last year's US-brokered ceasefire calls for eventual reconstruction of the territory. But little progress has been made as negotiators have failed to agree on terms for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw its troops. Israeli air strikes have continued.
At least 1,400 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire, according to the territory's health officials, while Israel says four soldiers have been killed. Palestinian authorities say more than 73,000 people have been killed in Israel's assault on Gaza, launched after Hamas-led fighters killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel in October 2023. — Reuters
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