Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Sunday killed at least four Palestinians, including a 13-year-old girl, as the Israeli military broadened its targeting criteria in response to Hamas's refusal to begin disarming under the terms of a fragile ceasefire now approaching its first anniversary. The strikes come as Israel signals growing frustration with the Gaza terror group's failure to meet a 100-day deadline for disarmament progress that passed in the middle of winter.
Local health officials said the first strike hit a group of people in northern Gaza's Beit Lahiya, killing two and wounding another. Another Israeli strike in southern Gaza killed a man, according to health officials at Nasser hospital. The 13-year-old girl, Eileen al-Farra, was killed by shrapnel from Israeli tank shelling in southern Gaza, Nasser hospital said.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the strikes, but said one of them targeted a "Hamas terrorist," without elaborating. Israel says it targets Hamas and other militants who pose a threat and acts in response to ceasefire violations.
The Shifting Target Set
The Jerusalem Post reported that Israel's targeting strategy is constantly shifting on all fronts. Not long ago, Israel was in a war in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, but there's now a broad ceasefire across all these fronts. Despite that ceasefire, the IDF announced attacks on all three fronts on Sunday.
In Gaza, the IDF announced more attacks on Hamas, but the Hamas fighter killed wasn't a name known for having killed or kidnapped an Israeli during the Oct. 7 massacre that marked the second anniversary of the war's beginning. Instead, the person was a Hamas operative who stole an IDF vehicle that day. The fighter was nowhere near the border or Israeli troops, but was driving, armed, around the center of Hamas-run areas.
The Post said this showed Israel is running out of quality targets in Gaza because it has killed so many senior and mid-level Hamas officials and is targeting just about anyone connected to Hamas and carrying a weapon, however low-ranked, even if they pose no current threat. At the start of the US-brokered Gaza deal in October 2025, Israel was very strict and only targeted Hamas fighters who approached its soldiers. This change is the clearest and most obvious, the Post reported.
Hamas's Disarmament Stalemate
The Trump administration has given Israel carte blanche to kill Hamas officials in Gaza from the air, as long as it doesn't lead to large civilian casualties and as long as there's no invasion, according to the Post. The expanded targeting comes as Hamas has dragged its feet on even partial disarmament since the beginning of the ceasefire, ignoring the 100-day deadline for progress. When the Board of Peace made Hamas a friendlier offer to get partial disarmament started, the Gaza terror group still played games, the Post reported. Israel is hoping more aggressive airstrikes might press Hamas into at least starting a disarmament process.
The Casualty Count
The heaviest fighting in Gaza has eased after a fragile ceasefire deal was reached in October between Israel and the Hamas militant group, but Palestinians continue to report new casualties almost daily. Gaza's Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-led government, said Israel has killed more than 1,040 people in Gaza since the ceasefire went into effect. The ministry maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by United Nations agencies and independent experts. It doesn't distinguish between civilians and militants, but says women and children make up around half of all deaths. Israel has said five soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire.
The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, with a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that killed some 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed more than 73,050 Palestinians, including those killed since the ceasefire, Gaza's Health Ministry said.
Why This Matters:
The expansion of Israeli targeting criteria reflects a fundamental problem with the Gaza ceasefire: Hamas has no intention of disarming. The terror group ignored a 100-day deadline for progress and rejected even partial disarmament offers, gambling that international pressure will eventually force Israel to accept a status quo in which Hamas retains its weapons and governing authority. Israel's calculation is straightforward — if diplomatic pressure and negotiated timelines won't move Hamas toward disarmament, sustained military pressure might. The Trump administration's support for Israeli airstrikes, provided they avoid mass civilian casualties, gives Jerusalem room to test that theory. But the shift toward lower-level targets suggests Israel is caught between two unsatisfying options: accept a permanently armed Hamas in Gaza, or maintain indefinite military pressure that produces daily casualties without a clear endpoint. The ceasefire's first anniversary will arrive with the core question unresolved: can a terror organization that refuses to disarm ever be a partner for lasting peace?