Five Palestinians, including four women, were killed in an Israeli airstrike that struck an apartment in the al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City shortly after midnight. According to a medical official at the Shifa medical complex, the victims included Maria Hafez Michel al-Najjar and her mother Maysaa Khader Abu Daoud—both Christians in the Palestinian territory—along with Yasmin al-Bobo, her mother Haloum al-Bobo, and a young man named Bilal Khalil Ouda. Mahmoud Bassal, spokesperson for the Civil Defense, reported that the strike caused severe destruction after two missiles directly hit the apartment, igniting a fire that also left several others injured.
Targeting of Ali al-Amoudi and Conflicting Reports on His Fate
The Israeli military announced that the operation specifically targeted Ali al-Amoudi, describing him as the “right-hand man” of late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and stating that he participated in planning the October 7, 2023 attack, as reported by Monte Carlo Doualiya. A military statement asserted that al-Amoudi is currently the highest-ranking figure inside the Gaza Strip, directly involved in terrorist activities and the rebuilding of the organization for war, and noted that precise munitions were used with steps taken to limit civilian harm. However, conflicting accounts emerged regarding his fate; while Israeli security sources speaking to the Kan broadcast authority estimated his chances of survival as very slim, Israeli Army Radio subsequently stated that the assassination attempt had apparently failed. Palestinian sources later reported that al-Amoudi had left the apartment a day prior to the bombing, raising questions regarding whether Hamas deliberately misled intelligence through double agents, according to Erem News.
Background and Profile of the Senior Hamas Figure
Al-Amoudi’s emergence in the leadership structure followed the killing of Yahya Sinwar in October 2024, leaving him to manage political and administrative functions in the Gaza Strip. Having spent approximately 20 years in Israeli prisons before his release in the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange deal—which also included Sinwar—al-Amoudi was subsequently elected to the Hamas political bureau and served as the head of Sinwar’s office, as detailed by Euronews. Prior to the conflict, he directed the group’s media and propaganda apparatus. His earlier public commentary includes a 2015 appearance on Al Jazeera’s “Arab Reality” program, where he discussed the structural relationship between the Qassam Brigades and the political leadership, describing the military wing as an integrated component within a single movement, as documented by Al Jazeera.
Bombardments Continue Despite Ceasefire Agreement
The strike occurred against a backdrop of ongoing daily bombardments despite a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that began in October 2025. According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations, more than 1,430 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire was declared, bringing the overall death toll to more than 74,200 since the war’s outbreak. Meanwhile, funeral services for victims Maria al-Najjar and Maysaa Abu Daoud were held at the Saint Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza City. The local Christian population is estimated at around 1,000—mostly Orthodox—among a total Gaza population exceeding two million.
