Ten killed in Israeli strikes and clashes between Hamas and militia in Gaza, local sources say
Local reports indicate 10 casualties in Israeli airstrikes and Hamas-militia clashes in central Gaza
At least 10 Palestinians were killed in Israeli air strikes and armed confrontations between Hamas and an Israel-backed Palestinian group in central Gaza, according to local sources. The strikes reportedly targeted Hamas security personnel who engaged in clashes with the militia near the Maghazi refugee camp. The number of fatalities attributed to the strikes versus ground combat remains unspecified.
A spokesperson for al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah stated that 10 bodies were delivered to the facility. The same source added that many others were wounded, with some in critical condition. Neither the Israeli military nor Hamas responded immediately to the incident.
Witnesses described how members of the Israel-backed militia set up a checkpoint east of the Maghazi refugee camp, prompting an attack by Hamas security forces. They mentioned that Israeli drones intervened, conducting strikes on Hamas personnel at three separate locations. The exact sequence of Monday’s events is still unclear.
Disarmament dispute hinders progress on Trump’s peace plan
The issue of weapon disarmament has become a central challenge in advancing the second phase of President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan. Last week, a Hamas delegation met with Egyptian, Qatari, and Turkish mediators in Cairo to offer their first response to a U.S.-led proposal urging Palestinian groups to dismantle their arms.
On Sunday, a spokesperson for Hamas’s military wing dismissed any disarmament talks before Israel fulfills its obligations under the first phase of Trump’s plan. “We will not accept raising the issue of weapons in this crude manner,” said Abu Ubaida, whose namesake was killed in an Israeli strike last year. He added:
“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.”
Abu Ubaida also tied the Gaza conflict to broader geopolitical tensions involving Israel and the U.S., as well as Iran and its allies. He praised the missile, drone, and rocket attacks by Iranian forces and their allies—Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen—as an “extension” of the conflict initiated by Hamas on 7 October 2023.
The Gaza war began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, during which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. In response, Israel launched a military operation against Hamas, resulting in over 72,300 Palestinian deaths, per the territory’s health ministry. Since the ceasefire agreement, the Hamas-run health ministry has reported at least 723 Palestinian fatalities in Israeli attacks. The Israeli military stated that five of its soldiers have been killed in attacks by Palestinian groups during the same period.
