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GAZA CITY — At least seven Palestinians, including women and a child, were killed in Israeli air strikes on Gaza City on Friday as Israel claimed it targeted a senior Hamas commander linked to the October 7 attacks.
According to Palestinian medical sources, the strikes hit a residential building in the Rimal neighborhood and a civilian vehicle in Gaza City, leaving dozens wounded, many in critical condition. Witnesses reported massive explosions and fires after multiple missiles struck the area.
Three women and one child were among those killed, while emergency crews rushed to rescue survivors trapped under rubble.
In a joint statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said the operation targeted Izz al-Din al-Haddad, a senior Hamas military figure Israel described as one of the planners of the October 7 attacks.
Israeli officials did not confirm whether Haddad was killed, while Hamas has not publicly commented on the claim.
The strikes came as Palestinians marked the 78th anniversary of the Nakba, the mass displacement of Palestinians during the 1948 war surrounding the creation of Israel.
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Local civil defense officials said the targeted residential building housed hundreds of civilians and that no evacuation warning was issued before the strike.
“There was panic everywhere,” witnesses in Gaza told local media, describing scenes of families fleeing through smoke and debris.
The latest violence highlights the continuing collapse of hopes surrounding the Gaza ceasefire announced last year. Despite diplomatic efforts and proposed peace initiatives backed by the Trump administration, deadly strikes and fighting have continued across the enclave.
According to Gaza health authorities, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire framework was first announced, while humanitarian conditions continue deteriorating amid widespread destruction, displacement, and shortages of food, electricity, and medical supplies.
The conflict remains one of the most dangerous flashpoints in the Middle East, with growing international concern over civilian casualties and the risk of wider regional escalation.