Deadly Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip killed at least 17 people and wounded 38 over a 24-hour period, intensifying doubts over whether new U.S. diplomatic efforts can salvage a tenuous ceasefire, according to reports from Apnews. The strikes followed closely on the heels of high-stakes regional talks led by U.S. envoy Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, who concluded an inconclusive trip to Jerusalem and Cairo aimed at advancing a new roadmap for the territory.
Deadly Gaza Strikes Escalation Casts Doubt on Ceasefire Talks Following Kushner Visit
On Tuesday evening, an Israeli airstrike hit a small seaside cafe inside the fishing harbor in western Gaza City, killing seven Palestinians—including a child—and wounding 14 others, according to local health officials and Reuters. The seaport has functioned as a large displacement camp for Palestinian families since the wider war began in October 2023. Footage and images from the scene showed a child’s shoes lying in blood among the wreckage, while other victims fell into the port basin, prompting rescue operations. The Israeli military stated that the strike targeted Hamas commanders planning attacks against Israeli troops, though it did not release evidence. Hamas rejected the military’s claims as “baseless.”
Strikes Hit Police Headquarters and Refugee Camp Amid Stalled Diplomacy
The violence continued into Wednesday, when an Israeli airstrike struck the Municipalities Police headquarters in Gaza City, killing nine people—including eight police officers and a 13-year-old girl—according to Gaza’s Interior Ministry and Dropsitenews. Among the dead was the women’s police chief, as reported by Aljazeera. Two of the slain officers were women. Separately, an Israeli strike on a motorcycle in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza killed one person, an attack the military said struck a Hamas commander involved in the October 7, 2023, attacks. Additionally, Israeli troops crossed the ceasefire line in southern Gaza at dawn on Wednesday and detained a Hamas police colonel, according to witnesses and a Hamas official.
Gaza’s Interior Ministry asserted that the attacks on the civil police force were intended to cripple civil order and spread chaos within Palestinian society. Hamas accused the Israeli government of deliberately seeking to undermine U.S.-led peace initiatives. The escalation unfolded just two days after U.S. negotiators reportedly asked Israel to draw down its military operations during Kushner’s marathon meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
Core Sticking Points Remain Over Disarmament and Troop Withdrawals
The renewed fighting highlights deep disagreements over the implementation of President Trump’s peace roadmap. Last month, Trump announced that Hamas had agreed to a phased plan involving the decommissioning of its weapons alongside an Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza and a halt to military operations. However, major sticking points have persisted over the sequencing of these steps.
Hamas has maintained that it will begin disarming only if Israel halts its strikes and withdraws its forces, with the surrender of heavy weapons contingent upon the eventual creation of a Palestinian state—a condition rejected by Israel’s government. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Netanyahu pushed back against the U.S. roadmap, insisting that Israeli forces will continue to operate in Gaza and that no military pullback or redeployment will occur until Hamas has completely disarmed. An official from Trump’s “Board of Peace” affirmed following the talks that Israel retained its full right of self-defense.
As diplomatic channels strain, the humanitarian situation in the enclave remains dire. Alongside the ongoing military casualties, Gaza health reports noted that a Palestinian child died from severe malnutrition on Tuesday as restrictions on food and essential supplies persist.
