Israeli strikes kill 13 in Gaza despite Hamas deal
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- Israeli airstrikes killed at least 13 Palestinians across Gaza City, Khan Younis, and Deir el-Balah, including several children; Palestinian officials reported a father, mother, and nine-year-old son killed in Khan Younis.
- Hamas accepted a disarmament plan days earlier that would hand over its weapons to President Trump's Board of Peace, the centerpiece of the US-brokered 20-point ceasefire framework unveiled in September.
- The IDF said it targeted military operatives, killing two Hamas commanders—one from the elite Nukbha force, one from the Maghazi Battalion—and a Jabalia Battalion militant in a separate strike.
- Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen stated no deal had been reached to halt attacks and argued Gaza should fall under full Israeli control if Hamas does not disarm, directly contradicting the plan's call for Israeli withdrawal.
- Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir dismissed the disarmament draft as "not acceptable," underscoring deep Israeli skepticism about Hamas's willingness to surrender weapons.
- More than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed since a supposed ceasefire took effect last October, and Israel has destroyed over 1,500 buildings in areas remaining under its control, per the source.
Why it matters: The strikes expose a widening gap between the Trump-brokered disarmament framework—touted as a "big step for the Middle East"—and the reality in Gaza, where 1,100+ Palestinians have been killed and 1,500+ buildings destroyed since the supposed ceasefire. With Energy Minister Cohen demanding full Israeli control and Ben Gvir flatly rejecting the draft, the roadmap's viability hinges on whether the Board of Peace can compel both Israeli restraint and an actual Hamas disarmament.
