Israel’s Deadly Gaza Strikes Cast Doubt on Ceasefire Progress Days after Kushner Visit

On Wednesday, Israel launched airstrikes in Gaza, killing at least ten people and detaining a Hamas police colonel, according to local hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent. This follows two days after U.S. negotiator Jared Kushner reportedly urged Israel to reduce attacks in the territory. Israeli forces entered a Hamas-controlled area in southern Gaza and detained the colonel, two witnesses and a Hamas official reported.

Israel claimed the airstrikes targeted Hamas militants, including those accused of involvement in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack in southern Israel that killed over 1,200 people. The Hamas-run Interior Ministry said the strike in Gaza City killed eight police officers and a 13-year-old girl, while a strike in Nuseirat refugee camp killed one person.

The strikes came despite Kushner's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, during which he asked Israel to cease attacks on Gaza. On Tuesday, an Israeli strike on a cafe killed seven Palestinians, including a child. Israel's military said it would investigate the 2024 killings of a 5-year-old girl and her family, as well as 15 Palestinian paramedics killed in 2025.

Since the ceasefire began in October, Israeli strikes have killed at least 1,273 people in Gaza, according to health officials. Over 73,400 Palestinians have died in the nearly three-year conflict. The ceasefire negotiations have yet to yield concrete commitments, with Hamas agreeing to disarm only if Israel stops strikes and withdraws, and Israel insisting on complete disarmament before any withdrawal.