Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator
Palestinians in Gaza City on Wednesday mourned the deaths of senior Hamas military commander Mohammed Awda, his wife, and two of his children after an Israeli airstrike targeted a residential apartment in the al-Rimal neighborhood late Tuesday evening.
The Israeli military confirmed on Wednesday that it had killed Awda in what it described as a carefully coordinated operation in northern Gaza. According to an Israeli army statement, Awda had recently assumed leadership of Hamas’s military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, following the killing of his predecessor, Azz-al-deen al-Haddad, earlier this month.
Israeli officials claimed that Awda also headed Hamas’s intelligence apparatus and was among the final senior commanders allegedly involved in planning the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. The military stated that the strike followed “months of intelligence monitoring” and targeted buildings in Gaza City that it alleged were being used as operational hideouts.
Deadly Strike in Crowded Market Area
Witnesses and medical sources said the Israeli strike hit the upper three floors of the al-Kayali residential building in central Gaza City, one of the busiest commercial areas in the enclave. The attack occurred while streets were crowded with shoppers preparing for Eid al-Adha.
At least three Palestinians were killed immediately, while dozens more were wounded. Local residents reported that at least five missiles struck the building almost simultaneously. A nearby apartment reportedly linked to another Hamas operative was also targeted in a secondary strike.
Israel Publishes List of Assassinated Hamas Leaders
On Wednesday, the Israeli military released a list of Hamas commanders it says have been assassinated since the beginning of the Gaza war in October 2023.
The list included prominent figures such as Mohammed Deif, Yahya Sinwar, Marwan Issa, Ahmed al-Ghandour, Mohammed Sinwar, and several other senior military commanders. Of the 16 names published, Israeli authorities said 15 had been killed.
The only surviving figure on the list was identified as Imad Aql.
Continued Violence Despite Ceasefire
Although a ceasefire officially came into effect in October 2025, violence in Gaza has continued almost daily. According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, more than 910 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since the ceasefire began.
Israel currently maintains control over approximately 60 percent of Gaza, including all major border crossings and access points, while most of the population remains concentrated along a narrow coastal strip.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz reiterated on Wednesday that Israel remains committed to preventing Hamas from ruling Gaza “either militarily or civilly.”
U.S.-Backed “Peace Council” Preparing Gaza Visit
Meanwhile, Israel’s public broadcaster reported Wednesday evening that representatives of the newly established international “Peace Council,” reportedly created under the leadership of U.S. President Donald Trump, are preparing to enter Gaza in the coming days.
According to the report, aides to former UN envoy Nikolay Mladenov, appointed by Trump to lead the council, have formally requested permission from the Israeli military to enter the territory.
The planned visit would mark the first time council representatives enter Gaza since the body’s establishment earlier this year.
Mladenov is also said to have presented a 15-point plan related to implementing Trump’s Gaza strategy, including the deployment of a multinational stabilization force inside the territory.
A separate visit by representatives of the proposed international force is expected next month.
UN Raises Alarm Over “Yellow Line” Killings
The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights warned Wednesday that nearly one-third of Palestinians killed since the ceasefire died near areas known as the “Yellow Line,” a military demarcation zone established by Israeli forces inside Gaza.
Ajith Sunghay, head of the UN Human Rights Office in the occupied Palestinian territories, said available evidence raises “serious concerns” that Israeli forces are shooting civilians merely for approaching the area.
He stated that such actions “could amount to unlawful killings and therefore war crimes.”
The UN said the constantly shifting boundaries of the military-controlled zone have left Palestinians uncertain about where civilian access is permitted. Reports indicate that Israeli forces have gradually expanded their area of control deeper into Gaza, further restricting the already limited living space available to displaced civilians.
Gaza Faces Looming Public Health Disaster
Dr. Mohammed Abu Afash, director of the Medical Relief Society in Gaza, said the enclave is facing “extremely dangerous” health conditions with the onset of summer.
According to Abu Afash, 82 water wells have been destroyed during the war, leaving only 12 functioning wells to supply water for large numbers of displaced civilians. The severe shortage has heightened fears of disease outbreaks amid rising temperatures.
Laboratory supplies in Gaza are reportedly operating at an 86 percent deficit, severely limiting the ability of hospitals and clinics to diagnose diseases.
“After the ceasefire, we hoped medical supplies would enter in larger quantities, but the healthcare system is still suffering enormously from shortages,” Abu Afash said.
Medical officials estimate that nearly 300,000 people suffering from chronic illnesses, including diabetes and hypertension, urgently require medications and continuous medical monitoring, while only limited quantities of supplies are entering the enclave.
Regional Tensions Continue to Escalate
The latest escalation in Gaza comes amid broader regional instability. Israeli strikes in Lebanon reportedly killed 31 people earlier this week as Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed to intensify military operations against Hezbollah.
Israel says its attacks in Lebanon are targeting Hezbollah fighters and infrastructure, while concerns continue to grow internationally over the widening scope of conflict across the region, including the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, more than 72,800 Palestinians have been killed since the war began. The United Nations has repeatedly described the ministry’s casualty figures as generally credible.
Journalist Steven Sahiounie conducted an interview with Palestinian writer and researcher Sharhabil Al-Gharib regarding the ongoing situation in Gaza, Israeli military operations, and the broader political landscape surrounding the conflict.
#1. Steven Sahiounie (SS): Israel continues carrying out a series of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip killing unarmed civilians, and assassinating leading figures from Palestinian factions. In your opinion, why is there Arab and international silence regarding the violations of the ceasefire?
Sharhabil Al-Gharib (SG): The Arab and international silence regarding violations of the ceasefire in Gaza cannot be separated from the double standards that govern the international political scene, where major interests and alliances often take precedence over international law and human rights considerations.
The absence of genuine pressure on Israel — whether through binding resolutions or effective political and diplomatic measures — has given it broad room to continue its policy of assassinations and military escalation, amid a clear inability by the international community to enforce respect for ceasefire agreements or protect civilians.
On the Arab level, especially among countries playing mediation roles, the position appears to be governed by complex political and security calculations. These states are trying to preserve communication channels with all parties in order to maintain their negotiating role, which pushes them toward adopting cautious rhetoric and avoiding open escalation against Israel for fear of collapsing mediation efforts or losing influence over future political and security arrangements.
Additionally, some Arab countries recognize that any direct political confrontation with Israel could place them in conflict with major international powers supporting it, most notably the United States. As a result, official positions often remain limited to statements of condemnation, denunciation, and calls for restraint without translating those positions into real pressure measures.
However, this Arab political caution, alongside international silence, has effectively become a situation perceived by both Palestinians and the broader Arab public as an inability to deter violations or enforce compliance with the ceasefire.
Israel now understands that reactions are unlikely to go beyond media condemnations, which encourages it to continue military operations without fear of genuine political or diplomatic consequences. Therefore, the crisis today is not only about violations of agreements, but also about the absence of Arab and international will capable of transforming temporary understandings into a real and enforceable commitment backed by clear guarantees and accountability mechanisms.
#2. SS: In recent days, we have witnessed the assassination of several field commanders from Palestinian factions in Gaza. How do you explain Israel’s success in assassinating this number of leaders? Is it an intelligence success or the result of human infiltration?
SG: Israel’s success in assassinating several field commanders in Gaza during recent days cannot be explained by a single factor alone. Rather, it is the result of an overlap between Israeli intelligence and technological superiority on one hand, and the extremely complex field reality inside the Gaza Strip on the other.
Gaza today has become a very narrow and densely populated geographical space, where nearly two million Palestinians are confined within approximately 35 percent of the territory’s total area. This makes the movement of individuals, concealment operations, and maneuvering
significantly more difficult, while granting Israel greater capabilities for surveillance and monitoring.
Israel has also devoted enormous intelligence resources to Gaza, relying on a combination of advanced technology, drones, communication interception, data analysis, and around-the-clock surveillance, in addition to employing artificial intelligence tools to track movements and identify targets.
This intensive intelligence effort increases the likelihood of locating field commanders even within highly crowded and complicated environments.
At the same time, the possibility of human infiltration or information leaks — whether direct or indirect — cannot be ruled out, especially given the immense pressure endured by the population as a result of war, displacement, and humanitarian collapse. However, reducing everything happening solely to human infiltration would oversimplify the situation.
What is taking place is the result of an environment that has become largely exposed from a security perspective due to the blockade, technological monitoring, and continuous aerial surveillance, in addition to Israel’s significant long-term investment in intelligence operations inside Gaza, which has intensified considerably during the past two years of ongoing war.
#3. SS: It seems clear that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues implementing his plans in both southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip without deterrence. In your opinion, what is the future of Gaza under Netanyahu and Trump?
SG: I believe that under Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership of the Israeli government, alongside Donald Trump’s presence in the American political scene, the Gaza Strip appears headed toward a more complicated and dangerous phase. Both figures adopt an approach that grants Israel broad freedom to act militarily and security-wise without real pressure to impose a comprehensive political settlement.
Netanyahu views the continuation of war and escalation as a means of preserving the cohesion of his governing coalition and escaping his political and legal crises. Meanwhile, Trump is widely regarded as one of the most supportive American presidents of the Israeli vision in the region, both in terms of security policy and reducing pressure related to the Palestinian issue.
At the same time, despite this support, the reality on the ground in Gaza imposes complex challenges on Israel itself. After many months of war and destruction, Israel has been unable to completely resolve the situation or impose a stable political model inside the Strip. This means that continuing military operations could lead to a prolonged war of attrition rather than a decisive resolution.
Therefore, Gaza appears to face an open-ended scenario: either the continuation of war through varying levels of escalation, assassinations, and military pressure, or a future shift toward political and security arrangements imposed under the pressure of humanitarian, regional, and international realities — particularly amid discussions about an anticipated visit by members of Trump’s Peace Council or a technocratic administrative committee headed by Ali Shaat.
The fundamental issue is that Gaza today is not only facing a military battle, but also a struggle over the shape of the sector’s political future: Who will govern Gaza? What will the security situation look like? Will new regional and international arrangements be imposed?
All of these questions remain unanswered, which leaves the situation open to further tension and instability as long as the current Israeli government continues to adopt the military option as its primary tool for managing the conflict.
Steven Sahiounie is a two-time award-winning journalist.
