Palestinians in Gaza on Sunday, the Deadliest Single-day Toll in Weeks, As the Military Targeted Hamas Commanders and Other Sites Despite

The strikes hit Gaza City in the north, Deir al-Balah in the center, and the southern area around Khan Younis. The military said an attack on an apartment in Deir al-Balah was aimed at two commanders of Hamas's elite Nukhba force, and that military targets in Gaza City and Jabalia were also struck. Medics reported that among the dead were two married couples and two children.

The announcement came days after President Trump claimed Hamas and other armed groups had agreed to disarm, raising hopes for a breakthrough. But Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen, a member of the security cabinet, expressed skepticism on Sunday, telling the army radio that Israel would give Hamas the chance to disarm but doubted it would happen. He said there was no agreement to stop attacks on Gaza, and that if Hamas did not lay down its weapons, Israel would need to take full control of the coastal territory, which it currently controls 70 percent of.

"In the agreement we signed with the United States, our position is that Hamas must be destroyed, he added. The U.S.-led Board of Peace, which monitors the ceasefire, published a 15-point roadmap on Friday for final steps to implement the deal. Hamas demands that Israel first halt attacks and withdraw troops before handing over weapons to a new Palestinian administrative body.

A senior Hamas official accused Israel of trying to create facts on the ground by intensifying attacks. Since the ceasefire was reached in October, at least 1,230 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes, according to Gaza health authorities, while four Israeli soldiers have died in the same period, according to Israeli counts."