The attack struck near a facility run by an American aid organization as negotiators from Hamas and Israel wrangle over a potential new cease-fire agreement.
The longtime enemies have opened contacts, reflecting a power shift across a Middle East in which they have newfound common ground: antipathy for Iran.
The decision came after Hamas said it had responded positively to an American-backed cease-fire proposal. President Trump says he hopes for a truce as soon as next week.
A man inspecting damage after an Israeli strike in central Gaza on Friday. The war has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and reduced much of the territory to rubble.
It was not immediately clear whether the group was demanding any significant changes to the plan for a 60-day truce, hostage-for-prisoner swaps and talks on a permanent end to the Gaza war.
The rise of Izz al-Din al-Haddad in the chain of command suggests the group will hold firm to its position demanding a total end to the war before releasing all remaining hostages.
Gideon Saar, the Israeli foreign minister, cited “positive signs” in the long-moribund cease-fire talks to end the war in Gaza and free the hostages held there.
Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed over the past month near aid hubs set up under a new Israel-backed system, according to Gaza health officials.
Connexion
