Ten killed in Israeli strikes and clashes between Hamas and militia in Gaza, local sources say
Local Reports Highlight 10 Palestinian Casualties from Israeli Strikes and Gaza Clashes
Local sources claim at least 10 Palestinians were killed in Israeli air strikes and armed confrontations between Hamas and an Israel-backed militia in central Gaza. The attacks reportedly targeted Hamas security personnel who engaged in battles with the militia near the Maghazi refugee camp. However, the exact number of casualties from the strikes or ground fighting remains uncertain.
A hospital official in Deir al-Balah stated that 10 bodies were transported to al-Aqsa hospital, while dozens of others sustained injuries, some in critical condition. Neither the Israeli military nor Hamas has issued a statement on the incident, leaving the sequence of Monday’s events unresolved.
Witnesses described how members of the Israel-backed militia established a checkpoint east of Maghazi, prompting an attack by Hamas security forces. This led to clashes, during which Israeli drones provided support, conducting strikes on Hamas personnel in three distinct locations.
The current conflict has seen both sides accuse each other of breaching the ceasefire agreement, which was signed nearly six months ago. Since then, Hamas-run health authorities in Gaza report at least 723 Palestinian deaths from Israeli attacks, while Israel claims five of its soldiers were killed in similar incidents.
Disarmament has emerged as a central challenge to advancing the second phase of Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan. Last week, a Hamas delegation met with Egyptian, Qatari, and Turkish mediators in Cairo to discuss a proposal by the US-led Board of Peace for Palestinian groups to dismantle their weapons. On Sunday, Hamas’s military wing rejected the idea of disarmament until Israel meets its obligations under the first phase of the plan.
Abu Ubaida, a Hamas spokesperson, asserted, “We will not accept raising the issue of weapons in this crude manner.” He linked the Gaza conflict to broader tensions between Israel and its allies, including the US and Iran. “What the enemy failed to take from us by tanks and destruction, it will not take from us through politics or at the negotiating table,” he added, referencing the death of his namesake in an Israeli strike last year.
Abu Ubaida also highlighted the connection between Hamas’s actions and attacks by Iranian-backed groups. He praised missile, drone, and rocket strikes by Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, calling them an “extension” of Hamas’s 7 October 2023 assault on southern Israel. That attack, which killed around 1,200 people and took 251 captives, triggered Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, resulting in over 72,300 fatalities, according to the territory’s health ministry.
“What the enemy failed to take from us by tanks and destruction, it will not take from us through politics or at the negotiating table.”
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously warned Hamas that the group would be disarmed “either the easy way or the hard way.”