At least six Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, according to Palestinian health officials, as efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration to advance a plan to end the war remain deadlocked.
The strike hit a crowded café inside Gaza City’s fishing harbour on Tuesday (18 August) killing at least six people and injuring 14 others, Gaza medics said. The port area has become a makeshift shelter for displaced Palestinian families during the conflict.
Witnesses described blood and debris scattered across the ground after two missiles struck the café.
Israel’s military said the strike targeted Hamas commanders and other militants who were planning attacks against Israeli forces in Gaza. It claimed one of those targeted had participated in the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, which triggered the war.
The military did not provide evidence for the claims.
The attack came a day after Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and a key figure in his Gaza diplomacy, left the region without securing a breakthrough.
Kushner met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday (17 August) and separately held talks with mediators and Hamas representatives in Egypt over the implementation of Trump's proposed Gaza roadmap.
The talks failed to resolve the central dispute between Israel and Hamas: the timing of an Israeli military withdrawal and the disarmament of Hamas.
An official involved with Trump's so-called Board of Peace said Israel retained its “full right of self defence” and that there would be no “redeployment” of Israeli forces until Hamas was disarmed.
An Israeli official said Netanyahu had made clear that Israeli forces would continue operating in Gaza and would not withdraw.
Trump previously said Hamas had accepted his roadmap, which envisages the group surrendering its weapons in stages as Israeli forces withdraw from Gaza.
But Netanyahu has rejected any arrangement that would see Israeli troops pull back before Hamas is fully disarmed.
Hamas, meanwhile, has demanded that Israel honour the ceasefire and withdraw its forces from the territory.
Both sides have therefore remained at odds over which steps should come first, leaving Trump's proposed framework in limbo.
Kushner warned that if Hamas failed to honour its commitments, Israel could receive greater international backing for further military action.
“If they don't follow through now on their commitment, everyone will see that they're not genuine about peace,” he said.
Hamas accused Israel of attempting to sabotage Trump's initiative and said it remained committed to the agreement.
The group did not confirm whether any of its commanders were among those killed in the strike, although it said a child was among the dead.
The latest violence has added to concerns over the durability of the ceasefire. Palestinian health officials say more than 1,200 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire was reached in October, while the Israeli military says four of its soldiers have also died during the same period.
The continuing violence, coupled with the lack of progress in negotiations, leaves Trump's Gaza plan facing a significant test as Israel and Hamas remain divided over the next stage of the ceasefire.
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