Israeli military aircraft struck at least four residential buildings across Gaza City in the early hours of Thursday morning, killing at least 11 Palestinians, including women and children, and wounding dozens more, according to medical sources and eyewitnesses. The strikes, carried out simultaneously by at least three helicopters, targeted the Sheikh Radwan and Tel al-Hawa neighbourhoods and the Shati refugee camp — a densely populated area on the northern edge of the Gaza Strip — shortly after 2 a.m., jolting residents awake with powerful explosions.
The Israeli military said the operation killed four senior members of Hamas's General Security Apparatus, naming the deputy head, Hassan Labad, alongside three subordinates. However, local sources and Hamas's Civil Defence agency said Labad was killed along with his wife, three of their children — including two children with disabilities — and three other women. A neighbour described being woken by the blast: "They say the war is over, but it is not. There is no safety in Gaza. Every day we are shot at and bombarded." By morning, families and neighbours had gathered at the sites to survey the destruction, clearing rubble and searching through damaged belongings.
The strikes take place against the backdrop of a ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump that officially took effect last October. Despite the agreement, Israeli military operations in Gaza have continued on a near-daily basis. More than 940 people have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire began, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that he has ordered the military to take control of up to 70% of the Gaza Strip, a significant expansion from current positions. Rather than withdrawing behind an agreed demarcation line at the centre of the territory, Israeli forces have progressively extended their footprint.
The humanitarian situation across Gaza remains severe. Aid organisations report acute shortages of food, medicine, and basic supplies, which they attribute to severe restrictions on the entry of humanitarian goods imposed by Israeli authorities. The World Health Organisation recently suspended medical evacuations from Gaza following the death of one of its staff members. Since the war began following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023 — in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage — the Gaza health ministry reports more than 72,950 Palestinians have been killed in the subsequent Israeli military campaign.
For Gaza's remaining civilian population, the latest strikes underscore a grinding reality: residential neighbourhoods continue to bear the consequences of ongoing military operations, even as diplomatic discussions about ending the conflict persist. Residents and rights groups question how a path to peace can be credible while airstrikes remain a nightly occurrence across the territory.