Deadly Gaza Airstrike Threatens Ceasefire Efforts, Hamas Claims

Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have accused Israel of undermining the stalled peace process in Gaza following an airstrike that killed at least six people in the embattled enclave on Tuesday.

Leaders of the militant groups criticized the strike in a statement, declaring it was "in clear defiance of the mediators’ efforts to solidify the ceasefire agreement and ensure its implementation." They also called for stepped-up efforts to "put an end to these violations and compel the occupation to cease them completely."

The Israel Defense Forces stated that it had "struck several Hamas commanders" in the attack. However, a Hamas source told CNN that the targeted group was a noncombat logistical support team whose members were working on a plan for collecting and storing weapons under the latest ceasefire agreement.

According to medical officials at Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital, a 13-year-old boy and his father were among those killed, while more than a dozen other people sustained injuries.

The Israeli strike occurred just one day after US President Donald Trump’s envoy Jared Kushner urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to restrain Israel’s near-daily attacks in Gaza. These ongoing strikes have resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 people since a nominal ceasefire took effect in October. Kushner pressed Netanyahu to "not create obstacles" to the long-stalled ceasefire plan, and US President Donald Trump similarly stated in a Fox News interview on Monday that Israel should halt its strikes on Gaza.