Gaza Market Strike — An Israeli air strike tore through the upper floors of a crowded commercial building in central Gaza City, killing at least three Palestinians and wounding dozens more in an attack timed just before one of the busiest shopping periods of the Islamic calendar.
Five missiles struck the al-Kayali building almost simultaneously from different directions, witnesses said, collapsing the structure’s top three floors in a matter of seconds. The building sits in the middle of one of Gaza City’s most active market districts, and streets were packed with residents shopping ahead of Eid al-Adha. One resident reported hearing a helicopter circling overhead moments before the missiles hit.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military had targeted Mohammed Odeh, the commander of Hamas’s armed wing, describing him as "one of the architects" of the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. It was not immediately confirmed whether Odeh was killed or injured in the strike.
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Odeh had assumed command of Hamas’s military wing following the death of his predecessor, Izz ad-Din al-Haddad, who was killed in a separate Israeli air strike earlier in May. That earlier attack also targeted a residential building and left at least three people dead, establishing a pattern of high-profile targeted strikes against Hamas’s military leadership inside densely populated areas.
The strike deepens a crisis of confidence in a ceasefire that formally took effect on 10 October. Despite the agreement, Israel has continued to conduct regular military operations across Gaza. The Palestinian territory’s health ministry reports that more than 800 people have been killed by Israeli strikes since the ceasefire began. Hamas has repeatedly accused Israel of violating the terms of the agreement and deliberately targeting civilians.
Israel rejects those accusations, maintaining it retains the right to strike Hamas operatives and pointing to what it describes as Hamas’s failure to disarm as its own breach of the ceasefire’s conditions. Talks on disarmament remain deadlocked, and Hamas has moved to reassert its authority in Gaza, reactivating its police force in recent weeks.
The broader peace framework underpinning the ceasefire has made little progress. The United States announced the launch of a second phase of its Gaza peace plan in January, envisioning a transitional technocratic administration to govern the territory alongside a demilitarisation process and a reconstruction programme. Those provisions have yet to come into force, and momentum stalled sharply after the US and Israel opened a military campaign against Iran in February.
Gaza Market Strike: Regional Implications
The human cost of the conflict since its outbreak remains staggering. More than 72,744 people have been killed in Gaza since Israeli forces launched their military campaign following the 7 October 2023 attacks, according to the Hamas-run health ministry — figures the United Nations considers reliable. The territory has a population of approximately 2.1 million people. The Hamas-led assault that triggered the campaign killed around 1,200 Israelis and resulted in 251 people being taken hostage.
Beyond Gaza, Israel’s military operations have extended to Lebanon, where strikes have killed 11 people. Netanyahu has vowed to intensify military action there, with the Israeli military stating its attacks have focused on Hezbollah infrastructure and positions.
The al-Kayali building strike is the second major targeted assassination attempt against a Hamas military commander in less than a month, signalling that Israel intends to continue dismantling the organisation’s command structure regardless of ceasefire obligations — a posture that Palestinian officials and international observers warn is pushing the fragile truce toward collapse.
