Deadly Gaza strikes raise fresh doubts over ceasefire efforts

Deadly Israeli airstrikes in Gaza on Wednesday have dealt another blow to the fragile ceasefire, just two days after a senior US envoy reportedly urged Israel to scale back its attacks. Local hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent reported at least 10 people killed in two separate strikes, while witnesses said Israeli troops crossed the ceasefire line in southern Gaza and detained a Hamas police colonel at dawn.

The Israeli military said one strike in Nuseirat targeted a Hamas commander involved in the October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel, which killed 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. A second strike in Gaza City's Tuffah neighbourhood hit another commander allegedly planning attacks on Israeli forces. The Palestinian Red Crescent said the strike on a police station in Gaza City killed at least nine people and wounded 15 others, while one person was killed in Nuseirat.

Tuesday evening saw a separate Israeli strike on a seaside cafe kill seven Palestinians, including a child, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The military said that strike targeted a meeting of four Hamas commanders and additional militants, though it did not name those killed or confirm their deaths.

The latest violence comes after Jared Kushner, a US negotiator and President Donald Trump's son-in-law, held a marathon meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, during which he asked Israel to reduce attacks in Gaza, according to a person familiar with the talks.

Israel's military also announced on Wednesday that it had completed reviews of 150 incidents of troop conduct during the war and would launch criminal investigations into the killings of a 5-year-old girl and her family, as well as 15 Palestinian paramedics.

Since the ceasefire began in October, Israeli strikes have killed at least 1,273 people in Gaza, according to health officials. The broader war has claimed more than 73,400 Palestinian lives, with women and children making up around half of the fatalities, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Diplomatic efforts remain stalled over key disagreements, particularly the sequencing of Hamas's disarmament and Israel's withdrawal. Hamas has said it would disarm if Israel halts strikes and withdraws, but insists full disarmament would come later and be contingent on the creation of a Palestinian state — a condition Israel's government rejects. Netanyahu has maintained that Israel will not withdraw until Hamas completely disarms.