Israeli strikes kill 8 in Gaza as ceasefire talks stall
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- Israeli strikes killed at least eight Palestinians in Gaza on Sunday (May 17), including one near a police post and another at a tent encampment in Khan Younis, and three at a community kitchen near Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah.
- Israel and Hamas remain deadlocked in indirect talks aimed at advancing Trump's post-war plan, which requires Hamas to disarm as Israeli troops withdraw from Gaza.
- The IDF killed Izz al-Din al-Haddad, head of Hamas' armed wing in Gaza, in a precise Friday strike on Gaza City; Hamas confirmed his death but stopped short of threatening revenge.
- The IDF also killed Bahaa Baroud, a Hamas Operations Headquarters commander, in a Saturday airstrike that targeted his car in Gaza City.
- Approximately 870 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since the October ceasefire, compared with four Israeli soldiers killed by militants in the same period, per figures that do not distinguish combatants from civilians.
- Israel has stepped up attacks in Gaza in the weeks since halting its joint bombing campaign with the US in Iran, while Israeli troops remain in control of more than half the territory.
Why it matters: The post-ceasefire toll — roughly 870 Palestinians killed versus four Israeli soldiers — reveals a stark asymmetry that the stalled talks have not addressed, and the IDF's killing of two top Hamas commanders suggests Israel is pursuing military escalation while diplomacy remains frozen. With Israel controlling more than half of Gaza and Hamas refusing to disarm, the negotiating gap is widening at a time of intensified bombardment.
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