Israel carried out an air strike in central Gaza on 15 January 2026that hit a house west of Deir al Balah, killing five people, according to hospital officials. Hamas said one of the dead was Mahmoud al Houli, a commander in its armed wing, the Al Qassam Brigades. The group described the strike as an assassination and accused Israel of escalating tensions during a fragile ceasefire.
By Friday morning, residents returned to the damaged street to inspect the collapsed building and collect belongings. Relatives gathered at Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital for funeral prayers, standing quietly in the courtyard.
Calling the strike a response to alleged ceasefire breaches by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Israel said it was acting amid growing tensions around the truce. Hamas said the attack breached the ceasefire, citing more than 400 Palestinian deaths in similar incidents since the October 2025 agreement, as it nears a second phase.
