An Israeli airstrike killed Izz al-Din Al-Beik, head of Hamas’ armed wing in the northern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, September 29, Israeli and Palestinian officials said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military targeted Beik because he had helped plan attacks and recruit militants. Hamas confirmed his death.
The Strike and Israel’s Claims
Medics said the strike hit an apartment building in Gaza City’s Nasr neighbourhood around dawn. Another person later died from wounds sustained in the attack, health officials said. Their account gave no further details about the person or the circumstances of the strike.
Israel says Hamas has been rearming and launching attacks in violation of an October ceasefire. In recent weeks, Israel has stepped up strikes on the group. Hamas denies trying to carry out attacks or rebuild its arsenal, and accuses Israel of undermining the Gaza deal.
The competing claims define the dispute over the ceasefire. Israel says Hamas is rearming and carrying out attacks; Hamas rejects that account. The United States brokered the agreement, which the sides agreed to last year, and it calls for the territory’s eventual reconstruction. But negotiators haven't settled terms for Hamas to disarm or for Israel to withdraw its troops. Israeli airstrikes continue.
Commanders and the Ceasefire Deadlock
The Israeli military says it has killed at least 20 Hamas figures this month. It described some as senior commanders and said others took part in the October 7, 2023, attacks or held Israeli hostages. The statement places Beik’s killing among a series of Israeli strikes on figures the military associates with Hamas operations, though the article provides no further details about the others killed.
Hamas confirmed Beik’s death but denied Israel’s allegations that it was rebuilding its arsenal or preparing attacks. Negotiations over the ceasefire remain stalled, with disarmament and an Israeli troop withdrawal still in dispute. The U.S.-brokered agreement included reconstruction, but the parties haven't made much progress while those terms remain unsettled.
Casualties Reported by Both Sides
Gaza health officials say at least 1,400 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect. The Israeli military says four Israeli soldiers have died during that period. The report attributes the figures to the officials and military, but gives no further breakdown of the deaths.
Palestinian authorities say more than 73,000 people have been killed in Israel’s assault on Gaza. The article says the assault began after Hamas-led fighters killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel in October 2023. Those totals describe the wider conflict; according to the officials cited, the latest strike killed Beik and another person.
The ceasefire’s unresolved terms keep reconstruction, disarmament and troop withdrawal tied to negotiations that haven't produced an agreement. Israel says Hamas has violated the truce by rearming and launching attacks; Hamas denies both allegations and says Israel is undermining the deal. The airstrikes continue, and both sides maintain their positions.