An Israeli airstrike struck a tuk‑tuk in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza, killing municipal worker Mohanad Saada and wounding five others, Gaza authorities said. Civil Defence said Saada was returning from repairing a damaged water well; the Israeli military said the strike targeted an alleged Hamas commander. Al Jazeera also reported additional drone and artillery strikes that injured civilians, including a critically wounded 13‑year‑old. The incidents followed Israel's rejection of a US‑backed 15‑point peace proposal; casualty tallies since Oct. 7 remain high and vary by source.
Airstrike Hits Tuk‑Tuk in Beit Lahiya, Killing One; Five Wounded
People walk past tents sheltering displaced Palestinians amid the ruins left by the Israeli air and ground offensive in Gaza City [File: Jehad Alshrafi/AP Photo]
An Israeli airstrike struck northern Gaza on Wednesday, hitting a three‑wheeled tuk‑tuk near the Western Roundabout in Beit Lahiya and killing one person, Gaza authorities said. Five others were wounded and taken to al‑Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
The deceased was identified as Mohanad Saada. Gaza Civil Defence said Saada was part of a municipal maintenance team returning from repairing a water well that had been damaged in earlier fighting.
Civil Defence account: Civil Defence spokesperson Mahmoud Basal told AFP that "it is true that Israeli airstrikes and assassinations had almost completely ceased for over a week, but today the occupation resumed its aerial bombardment."
Israeli military statement: The Israeli military said the operation targeted a Hamas commander it accused of planning attacks on Israeli forces.
Despite a reported reduction in large‑scale air raids after international diplomatic talks, Israeli forces have continued ground‑level shelling and drone strikes. Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza reported at least two additional incidents on Wednesday: a quadcopter drone attack in Khan Younis that wounded a father and critically injured his 13‑year‑old son, and artillery shelling near the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.
"I had bought some falafel, and I was walking, and suddenly there was something like a bomb that exploded," the boy's father told Al Jazeera. "People scattered. I found my son thrown on the ground, bleeding from his head. There was shrapnel in his head and in his leg, and he lay there in his blood."
The strikes came days after Israel said it had rejected a 15‑point plan proposed by former US President Donald Trump and drafted by the so‑called Board of Peace. The proposal called for "the complete disarmament of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza"; Hamas endorsed the plan, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally rejected it.
Casualty figures remain high and are reported differently by various sources. Some reports say Israeli strikes have killed more than 1,250 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them civilians, since a US‑backed "ceasefire" took effect in October. Local tallies also report tens of thousands killed and hundreds of thousands wounded since October 7, 2023; independent verification is difficult amid ongoing hostilities.
Outlook: Authorities and journalists warn the situation remains volatile. Verification of battlefield claims and casualty figures is constrained by access and security conditions.
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