Israel killed at least eight Palestinians across Gaza just as the United States announced that the two sides had made progress on the second phase of a 20-point ceasefire agreement with Hamas to end the conflict.
The Wafa news agency reported that Israeli forces bombed two homes of the al-Hawli and al-Jaro families in the central city of Deir al-Balah on Thursday evening, with health officials confirming that a 16-year-old minor was among the dead.
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The Israeli military announced that one of the victims, Muhammad al-Hawli, was the commander of the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas.
Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera’s Ibrahim al-Khalili confirmed that a “senior Qassam Brigades figure” had been killed, and that the attack underscored Israel’s message that it would define the second phase of the ceasefire “on its terms”.
He said Israel had set the terms for the next phase of the ceasefire, which would see the establishment of a Palestinian technical administration overseen by an international “peace board”, with the option of “escalation” remaining “on the table”.
‘Heinous crime’
Hamas condemned the targeting of the al-Hawli home as a “heinous crime” and said it exposed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “disrespect” for the October ceasefire, but did not confirm the death of one of its commanders.
At least 451 Palestinians, including more than 100 children, have been reported killed since the ceasefire took effect, with Israel ordering the evacuation of more than half the residents of Gaza, where its forces remain apparently mobile.Yellow line“
Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in the same period.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff announced in a post on X on Wednesday that the second phase of Trump’s 20-point plan to end the conflict had been launched, moving from “ceasefire to disarmament, technical administration and reconstruction”.
The next phase would bring “the complete disarmament and reconstruction of Gaza, primarily the disarmament of all unauthorized personnel,” he said, referring to Hamas, which has so far publicly denied full disarmament.
The plan also calls for the deployment of an international stabilization force to help secure Gaza and train vetted Palestinian police units.
A 15-member technocratic committee called the National Committee for Gaza Administration will manage day-to-day governance, but will leave unresolved broader political and security issues, including the question of Israel’s post-war withdrawal from the enclave.
Ali Shaath, a former deputy minister in the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, has been appointed to lead the committee, which is now meeting in Egypt to begin preparations to enter the region, AFP news agency reported, citing Egyptian state television.
In a recent interview, Shath said the committee would rely on “brains rather than weapons” and would not coordinate with armed groups.
‘A step in the right direction’
Nevertheless, senior Hamas official Bassem Na’im welcomed the formation of the committee on Thursday, calling it “a step in the right direction” and signaling that the armed group was ready to hand over administration of Gaza.
“This is critical to strengthening the ceasefire, preventing a return to war, addressing the catastrophic humanitarian crisis and preparing for comprehensive reconstruction,” he said.
“The ball is now in the court of the arbitrators, American guarantors and the international community to empower the committee,” he added.
The US-proposed peace commission is expected to be led by Bulgarian diplomats and politicians Nikolay Mladenov.
Reuters news agency reported that the invitations were sent on Wednesday to potential members of the peace council, who were personally selected by Trump.
‘Human remains’ in the rubble
The first phase of Trump’s plan began on October 10 and included a full ceasefire, an Israeli prisoner exchange for Palestinian prisoners, and a wave of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
However, Israel has clamped down on supplies entering the enclave, with more than 2 million people from almost all of the region now struggling to survive the winter in makeshift homes or damaged buildings.
As Al Jazeera’s Al-Khalili put it, “the situation is getting worse for the hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians who heard about the announcement of the second phase of the ceasefire without implementing anything on the ground”.
Jorge Moreira da Silva, head of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), said the situation was “inhumane” and called for reconstruction work to be accelerated. “We cannot wait, we cannot delay,” he said after a visit to the region on Thursday.
Da Silva said the launch of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan marked a “historic” opportunity to begin reconstruction efforts, which he said would require $52 billion, according to assessments by the World Bank, the United Nations and the European Commission.
In a second phase, Shaath said the committee would focus on providing urgent aid to Gaza, announcing that he would bring in bulldozers to “push the waste into the sea and make new islands, new land.”
According to Shaath, Israel’s full-scale assault on Gaza has scattered around 60 million tons of debris, “including unexploded ordnance, hazardous waste and unfortunately human remains”.
At least 71,441 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza since it began on October 7, 2023.