Israeli airstrikes west of Gaza City on Monday resulted in the deaths of five people, according to local hospital officials and rescue services, while the Israeli military stated it targeted members of Hamas’s military wing.
Al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest medical facility, reported receiving two bodies following an airstrike near the entrance of a residential building close to the municipal park in Gaza City. Later, the hospital received three more bodies and several wounded individuals after a drone strike hit a civilian vehicle in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood, southwest of the city. The Gaza civil defence, which operates under Hamas authority, confirmed the casualties and shared images showing the car reduced to a blackened, twisted shell surrounded by bystanders.
The Israeli military said both strikes targeted operatives belonging to the Ezzedine Al-Qassam brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, and indicated that further details would be provided later. The strikes occurred despite a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States, which went into effect in October 2025. Nevertheless, ongoing hostilities continue as Israel maintains it must address security threats from Hamas following the group’s unprecedented attack on October 7, 2023, which escalated the conflict in Gaza.
Since the ceasefire commenced, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza, which operates under Hamas authority and whose casualty figures are recognized as reliable by the United Nations, reports that at least 1,318 Palestinians have been killed. During the same period, the Israeli military has reported five deaths among its personnel and one civilian contractor.
Family members of the victims expressed grief and frustration over the continued violence. Amjad Abu Abdo, a relative of one of the men killed in the first strike, said the airstrikes had shattered hopes for peace and described ongoing fear caused by Israeli drone activity. “There is no ceasefire. There is not one good day in Gaza since October 7,” he said.
In a related development, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun appealed to Greece for assistance in enforcing a ceasefire agreement with Israel to halt attacks on Lebanese territory. This request came shortly after Greece and Israel announced a multibillion-dollar arms deal. The ceasefire agreement, brokered in June by the United States, calls for an end to hostilities and the restoration of Lebanese army control over southern Lebanon. While Beirut demands Israel withdraw from occupied areas, Israel insists any withdrawal must be accompanied by the removal of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah from the region.