A recent Israeli drone strike in Gaza City has triggered a new wave of violence, raising fears of a collapsed ceasefire. Teh strike, which killed a senior Hamas commander and at least 20 other Palestinians, occurred Saturday and represents the most meaningful escalation since the truce took effect on October 10, 2025. Conflicting accounts surrounding the events – including questions about the sequence of a shooting incident involving a Palestinian civilian and the subsequent assassinations – are fueling tensions and prompting investigations by both Israeli and Hamas officials.
The escalation, the first of its kind since a ceasefire took effect on October 10, 2025, has raised concerns about a potential resurgence of conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant groups. Sources in Gaza allege a deliberate manipulation by Israel of the timing of the announcement of the assassinations, claiming a false pretext was created to initiate a wider campaign targeting Hamas and Islamic Jihad commanders.
According to these sources, Israel did not publicly claim responsibility for al-Hadeedi’s killing, or those of other targeted leaders, until after announcing a military operation in response to a shooting attack by a Palestinian against Israeli forces in southern Gaza. The Israeli military stated the incident involved an individual who opened fire while exiting a vehicle designated for humanitarian aid. However, sources claim the assassinations occurred *before* the announcement of the attack.
The Israeli military released video footage of the shooting, which resulted in the death of the alleged assailant. Hamas has questioned the Israeli account, with a senior political official, Ezzat al-Rishq, calling for the identification of the shooter to prove the movement’s non-involvement in the incident.
The Shooter
Palestinian sources both inside and outside of Hamas have identified the shooter as Khalil Naji, 28, a resident of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, married with three children. One child is with his mother, who is traveling for medical treatment outside of Gaza, while the other two are being cared for by Khalil’s wife. Sources describe Naji as financially stable, raising questions about his motives.
Naji reportedly lost his left leg in an injury sustained during the 2018-2019 “Great March of Return” protests along the Gaza border and used a prosthetic limb. He had recently been working as a driver facilitating the entry of aid shipments through the Kerem Shalom crossing – the same route he was traveling when he was killed.
Sources say Naji was not affiliated with any Palestinian faction and that the weapon he possessed belonged to a friend, used for securing goods. He had recently purchased canned goods for personal trade. Some sources close to his family believe he may have returned to the area without proper coordination, hoping to confront potential thieves, as he had previously been the victim of a robbery in the same location. Hamas security officials have stated they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Assassinations
Alaa al-Hadeedi, the Hamas commander targeted in the strike, was responsible for supplying and arming the Qassam Brigades’ manufacturing division, according to the Israeli military, who stated he oversaw the distribution of various weapons during the recent conflict. He was killed alongside Khalil al-Suri, a colleague, and two children who were passing by at the time of the strike.
Al-Hadeedi came from a family with strong ties to Hamas, several members of which have been killed during the current conflict, including leaders close to Mohammed Deif, the commander of the Qassam Brigades, who was reportedly targeted in July 2024.
In a separate strike, Ghaleb Abu Shaweesh was killed in his home in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, along with ten relatives, including his wife, eldest son Bilal, and two daughters. Sources within Hamas identified Abu Shaweesh as a company commander in the Nuseirat battalion of the Qassam Brigades.
Another drone strike in Nuseirat killed Mustafa Abu Hashellah, an imam and preacher at the Al-Farooq mosque, and a prominent figure in Hamas’s outreach department. He was reportedly involved in recent efforts to restructure Hamas’s leadership structure.
A further strike in Gaza City targeted a residential apartment building housing displaced persons in the Al-Nasr neighborhood, killing at least five Palestinians, including Alaa al-Khodari, a prominent activist in the Islamic Jihad’s rocket unit, according to sources.
Intelligence Effort
Sources on the ground in Gaza say Israel announced the shooting incident only after carrying out the assassinations, indicating a significant intelligence operation to locate and eliminate militants. They report constant surveillance by reconnaissance aircraft, ongoing incursions by special forces, and the use of informants, alongside technological capabilities, to target and kill militants.
Israeli forces continue to violate the ceasefire in Gaza through airstrikes, artillery fire, and drone attacks in several areas, particularly Rafah, Khan Yunis, and Gaza City, primarily east of the “yellow line” and its surroundings. Extensive demolitions have also been reported in these areas.
