Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad accused Israel of undermining the stalled peace process in Gaza after an airstrike killed at least six people in the embattled enclave Tuesday.
Leaders of the militant groups criticized the strike in a statement saying it was “in clear defiance of the mediators’ efforts to solidify the ceasefire agreement and ensure its implementation,” and called for stepped-up efforts to “put an end to these violations and compel the occupation to cease them completely.”
The Israel Defense Forces said it had “struck several Hamas commanders” in the attack. 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.
A 13-year-old boy and his father were among those killed, and more than a dozen other people were injured, medical officials at Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital said.
The Israeli strike was launched one day after US President Donald Trump’s envoy Jared Kushner pressed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to restrain Israel’s near-daily attacks in Gaza, which have killed more than 1,200 people since a nominal ceasefire took effect in October. Kushner urged Netanyahu to “not create obstacles” to a long-stalled ceasefire plan. In an interview with Fox News on Monday, Trump also said Israel should stop striking Gaza.
