Israel carries out first Gaza air strike in over a week, killing one
Israel carried out its first air strike in Gaza in more than a week, killing Mohanad Saada and wounding five others, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency and al-Shifa Hospital.
Source: South China Morning Post · August 12, 2026 at 6:43 PM · AI-assisted report
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KUALA LUMPUR, 13 AUGUST 2026 —
Israel carried out its first air strike in Gaza in more than a week, killing Mohanad Saada and wounding five others, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency and al-Shifa Hospital.
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The Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas commander it accused of planning attacks on its troops in the war-battered territory. “The terrorist was struck in an aerial strike in order to remove the threat to IDF troops,” a military statement said, adding that it tried to mitigate civilian harm.
Gaza’s civil defence agency, a Hamas-run rescue service, said the strike in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip hit civilians in a tuk-tuk. Saada’s body was “torn to pieces”, the agency said.
Israel had not carried out air strikes in Gaza since August 3, following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a “major milestone” in his plan to end the war. Hamas had said it would disarm by handing weapons to a nascent Palestinian governing committee.
Trump’s “Board of Peace”, tasked with implementing the ceasefire deal, had initially said Israel would start a phased withdrawal from much of Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rejected the deal on Sunday and vowed no Israeli pull-out, even after the Board assured him Israel would not withdraw until Hamas fully disarmed.
Despite Netanyahu’s stance—amid pushback from his right-wing base ahead of October elections—Israel had largely complied with the Trump plan by avoiding major strikes since October’s ceasefire. The Israeli army has reported five soldier deaths in Gaza during this period, while Gaza’s health ministry says 1,259 Palestinians have been killed. The UN considers the ministry’s figures reliable.