Israeli Strikes Kill Three in Gaza as Iran Consolidates Hardline Leadership

Israeli military operations in Gaza killed at least three Palestinians on Saturday, according to local health officials, as a fragile ceasefire continues to hold despite sporadic violence.

In Gaza City, an Israeli airstrike on a motorbike killed two people and wounded another, officials at Shifa hospital reported. The Israeli military said it targeted a "military operative" but provided no further details.

Separately, tank fire killed a farmer in the eastern part of Deir al-Balah, where the body was taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on that incident.

An additional airstrike near the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital compound wounded three Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry. The Israeli military said it struck a Hamas commander who had been planning attacks and was hiding adjacent to the compound. It added that medical authorities in Gaza had been warned on Thursday not to use medical facilities for "terrorist purposes." The hospital did not respond to the allegation.

Since the ceasefire began in October, Israel's military has killed at least 1,313 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government. The ministry's casualty records are considered broadly reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts, though they do not distinguish between civilians and militants.

Meanwhile, Iran's new leadership appears prepared for a prolonged confrontation with the United States, focusing on internal stability. The new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has not appeared publicly since his father and other senior leaders were killed in strikes on Feb. 28. In appointments announced on Aug. 11 and 12, Khamenei has placed longtime allies in key positions, including Mohsen Rezaei as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and Hossein Taeb as head of the Basij, the Revolutionary Guard's volunteer force.