Israel kills senior Hamas commander in Gaza strike

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Mahmoud Issa

CAIRO/GAZA, Sept 29 (Reuters) - ‌An Israeli airstrike killed ​the head ​of Hamas' armed wing in north Gaza on Tuesday, officials on both sides said, with the militant group describing him as a leader of the October 7, 2023, attack that precipitated the war in the Palestinian enclave.

Israel's government ‌said its military had targeted and killed Izz al-Din Al-Beik, who they said was involved in planning ⁠attacks and recruiting. Hamas confirmed his death.

Medics said the Israeli strike hit an apartment building in Gaza City's Nasr neighbourhood around dawn. A second person died from wounds ‌after the attack, health officials said.

Later on ‌Tuesday, two separate airstrikes in Jabalia refugee camp, one near a medical clinic and the other at a tent encampment housing displaced families, killed at least three people, medics said. The Israeli military reported two strikes that targeted militants in Jabalia.

Israel, which says ​Hamas has been rearming and launching attacks in violation of an October ceasefire, has stepped up strikes on the group in recent weeks.

The Israeli military says it has killed at least 20 Hamas figures this month, including some it identified as senior commanders, ⁠people who took part in the October 7, 2023, attacks or those who held Israeli hostages.

Hamas has denied trying to carry out attacks or rebuild its arsenal and accuses ​Israel of undermining the Gaza peace deal.

MASS FUNERAL

Also on Tuesday, Palestinians in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza buried the newly recovered remains of 41 people killed in a series of Israeli strikes ​on homes in the area in a single day three weeks into the ‌war nearly three years ago.

Hundreds of relatives and friends gathered in an open space to pay respect as the remains were placed in white shrouds adorned with Palestinian flags.

"There are mixed feelings between relief, sadness, ⁠and pain. But thank God, the fire in my heart has eased a little, because my husband now has a grave that my orphaned children and I can visit,” said Areej Farajallah, who lost her husband.

The bodies were the latest of around 800 that have been recovered by excavation teams moving ⁠from site to site in the enclave during the ceasefire.

“With minimal equipment, their remains were recovered after hours of work, retrieving what was left of bones, ​some skulls, and hair with which it is extremely difficult for us to identify them," said Rami Al-Ayedi, of Gaza's Civil Defence Service.

Palestinian authorities estimate more than 8,000 bodies remain buried in wreckage. The recovered remains of 112 people from the same clan were laid to rest in the largest mass ‌burial so far last month.

Last year's US-brokered ceasefire calls for eventual reconstruction of the territory. But little progress has been made as negotiators have failed to agree terms for Hamas to disarm and ‌Israel to withdraw its troops.

Israeli airstrikes have continued. At least 1,400 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire, according to the territory's health ⁠officials, while Israel says four soldiers have been killed.

Palestinian authorities ‌say more than 74,000 people have been ​killed in Israel's assault on Gaza, launched after Hamas-led fighters killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel in October 2023.

(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi and Mahmoud Issa. Additional reporting by Maayan Lubell in JerusalemEditing by Peter Graff ‌and Andrew Cawthorne)

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