Israel has revoked permission for relief supplies to enter the Gaza Strip after an airstrike in Al-Zawaida city killed at least six members of Hamas’s elite armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades. Among the dead is Yahya al-Mabhouh, commander of the Jabalia Battalion.
According to a report by the British news outlet BBC, the Israeli military launched the airstrike on Sunday targeting a position of the Qassam Brigades’ Jabalia Battalion. Local sources said six fighters, including the battalion commander, were killed in the attack.
The Israeli strike targeted a small seaside café set up inside a tent in Al-Zawaida, a coastal city located between Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis along the Mediterranean coast. The BBC reported that the six slain Qassam Brigade members were residents of northern Gaza and were conducting operations in the central region at the time of the attack.
The death of senior commander Al-Mabhouh is regarded as one of the most significant setbacks for Hamas’s elite wing since the ceasefire came into effect.
Meanwhile, Israel has ordered the suspension of humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza “until further notice.”
An Israeli security official said, “Following Hamas’s blatant violation of the agreement and in line with political directives, the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip has been suspended.”
The announcement came as the Israeli military accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire agreement. However, Hamas has denied the allegation, claiming instead that Israeli forces are the ones breaching the truce by conducting airstrikes in Gaza.
The ceasefire agreement, brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump on October 10, had allowed hundreds of aid trucks to enter Gaza daily. But on Sunday, Israel revoked this permission amid escalating tensions.
Earlier in August, UN-backed experts warned that Gaza was facing famine due to Israel’s prolonged blockade, which had severely restricted the entry of humanitarian aid.
