Israel said it killed a senior Hamas Commander on Saturday in a strike on a vehicle inside Gaza.
In a statement, Israel’s military said it had “hit a key Hamas terrorist” in Gaza City.
Hamas’ Civil Defense spokesman, Mahmmoud Sabal, told the BBC that four people were killed in the strike. He said many passers-by were also injured in the blast.
Local sources said the strike may have targeted Raed Saad, a senior commander of Hamas’ armed wing, the Qassam Brigade.
Israel’s BBC is prevented from reporting independently from inside Gaza and cannot verify the details of the incident.
Saad is believed to be a member of the newly established five-member leadership of the military that was established because of a cease-fire in October.
He is considered one of the most famous Qassam commanders and led several brigades in the 7 October attack by Hamas on Israeli communities east of Gaza City.
Israel tried to kill him on several occasions.
One of the most famous attempts was during a surprise Israeli operation in the City of Jerusalem in March 2024, when Israeli forces reportedly sought to arrest or kill him. Sources at the time SAAD was inside the target complex but managed to escape moments before the attack.
He has long been considered one of Israel’s most wanted figures, with Israel trying to assassinate him for two decades.
Saturday’s attack took place on the Palestinian-controlled side of the so-called yellow line that divides Gaza because of an unstable ceasefire-lead ceasefire-first ceasefire on 10 October.
Israeli forces control the area east of the line, which includes half of the Gaza Strip.
The first phase of US President Donald Trump’s 20-Point Plan for Peace in the region requires the return of all 20 hostages taken to southern Israel on 7 October 2023.
About 1,200 people were killed in the attack and more than 250 people were taken hostage.
All but the remains of the Israeli officer, Gvili, 24, who was believed to have been killed while fighting at Kibbutz Alumim, have been recovered.
Since then, according to the Hamas-Run Peace Ministry, 70,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military action.
The diplomatic focus is now shifting to the next phase of President Trump’s plan to fish out Hamas as part of the de-radicalization and redevelopment of Gaza.
It stopped Gaza being run by the “temporary transfer of management to a technological, apostolic Calestinian Committee, which” will oversee a “Board of Peace” headed by Trump.
Security will be provided by an international stabilization force although its creation remains unclear.
The ultimate goal is for a change in Palestinian authority to control the territory, and for Israeli forces to withdraw, after a credible path of self-determination.
Many aspects of the plan are controversial in Israel where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has often rejected calls for a Palestinian state.
Trump is due to meet with Netanyahu to discuss the US plan on 29 December.