Tensions in the Gaza Strip have spiked sharply this week, as Hamas issued an urgent warning Thursday that the already fragile ceasefire brokered between the group and Israel faces imminent collapse following a dramatic escalation of Israeli air strikes across the enclave over the past month.
The Palestinian militant group confirmed that a new wave of intensive bombardment targeting residential neighborhoods has claimed the lives of at least 20 civilians over just 48 hours, with casualties including women and children. The latest surge in violence came amid the Muslim religious holiday of Eid al-Adha, a period traditionally marked by community gatherings and celebration across the region.
The deadliest single incident this week unfolded Wednesday night, when an Israeli warplane struck a multi-story residential building in central Gaza City. Local Palestinian media outlets reported the strike left at least 10 people dead, among them two minors and two adult women. Israeli state media confirmed the attack was intended to assassinate two senior Hamas commanders: Ezz al-Din Beik, head of Hamas’ northern Gaza brigade, and Imad Aslim, deputy commander of the group’s Gaza City brigade. As of Thursday evening, neither Hamas leadership nor independent Palestinian sources had verified that either of the two named targets were killed or present at the site of the strike.
This deadly raid followed a targeted assassination just one day earlier, on the eve of Eid al-Adha, when Israeli forces bombed another private residence in Gaza City that killed Mohammed Odah, the newly appointed leader of Hamas’ armed wing, alongside five civilian bystanders. Hamas officially confirmed Odah’s death earlier this week, noting he had only stepped into the top role less than a fortnight prior, after his predecessor Izz ad-Din al-Haddad was killed in a similar Israeli air strike two weeks earlier.
In its official statement released Thursday, Hamas called on the United States and other international powers that acted as guarantors for the original ceasefire agreement to uphold their commitments. “The US administration and the countries guaranteeing the agreement must assume their responsibilities by taking a clear stance condemning the occupation’s violations,” the statement read. Hamas emphasized that urgent intervention was required to force Israeli authorities to abide by the terms of the truce, warning that “the deal is at risk of collapse due to its ongoing crimes and repeated breaches.”
Official data from Gaza’s Palestinian Ministry of Health underscores the scale of ongoing bloodshed since the October 2024 ceasefire brokered by the U.S. To date, Israeli operations have killed at least 906 Palestinians in Gaza and injured more than 2,700 others since the ceasefire took effect. Since the start of the latest conflict in October 2023, total Palestinian fatalities from Israeli attacks have surpassed 72,800, with thousands more still missing and presumed dead beneath the rubble of destroyed buildings across the enclave. Gaza’s Government Media Office reported earlier this week that Israeli forces have already carried out more than 3,000 separate violations of the ceasefire agreement. Beyond the near-daily air strikes and fatal incursions that have intensified in recent days, these violations include persistent blockades on humanitarian aid entering the Strip, restrictions on medical patients traveling abroad for life-saving treatment, and incremental territorial expansions of Israeli occupation across Gaza.
Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported Wednesday that the latest wave of targeted assassinations against senior Hamas leaders was explicitly approved by the so-called “Board of Peace,” a body created with U.S. backing. An anonymous source from the board stated, “We consider the elimination of senior figures in the terrorist organisation’s military wing to be part of the process of disarming Hamas.” Kan also added that board representatives have requested permission from the Israel Defense Forces to deploy personnel into the Gaza Strip, a move that could be authorized within the coming days.