Israeli Strike Kills Hamas Commander Al-Beik in Gaza City

Izz al-Din Al-Beik, who led Hamas' military wing in northern Gaza, died when Israeli forces bombed an apartment building in the Nasr area of Gaza City in the early hours of Tuesday, according to a joint announcement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz.²³⁷

The strike

According to Gaza health authorities, the bombing struck a residential building located in the Nasr district of Gaza City near daybreak. Another person died later from wounds sustained in the attack, according to reports of the strike.¹²³⁴

According to Netanyahu and Katz, Al-Beik was deliberately targeted and killed by the military, and they characterized him as someone who helped organize attacks and bring in new fighters. Hamas issued a statement confirming Al-Beik's killing in the strike.¹²

Wider Israeli campaign

Israel has stepped up strikes on Hamas in recent weeks. According to Israel's military, it has eliminated no fewer than 20 Hamas operatives so far this month; this figure comes solely from The Straits Times and has not been verified by any of the other sources used here.¹

In two additional incidents, Israeli forces conducted separate strikes that resulted in the deaths of at least two Palestinians and injuries to several more people. One attack on a rooftop resulted in the death of a woman and injuries to her husband along with others present, and a separate strike in the Nuseirat refugee camp claimed the life of another woman while injuring additional people. The Israeli military said it had struck a militant in Nuseirat.⁴⁵⁶

Ceasefire dispute

According to Israel, Hamas has broken the terms of the October truce by rebuilding its weapons stockpile and carrying out attacks. For its part, Hamas rejects claims that it has attempted any attacks or weapons buildup, and instead charges Israel with sabotaging the agreement over Gaza. Under the terms of the truce negotiated by the United States and finalized the previous year, Gaza is ultimately meant to be rebuilt.¹³⁴

In further reporting, The Straits Times stated that Gaza has seen a minimum of 1,400 Palestinian deaths since the truce began, four Israeli troops have died in that same period, Israel's broader military campaign in Gaza has claimed over 73,000 lives, and roughly 1,200 people were killed by Hamas-led militants during the attacks on southern Israel in October 2023. These figures were not repeated by the other outlets consulted for this account.¹