A relative lull hangs over efforts to shape Gaza’s future, as global and regional attention shifts to the US-Israeli war against Iran.
Still, Israel has continued targeting commanders from Hamas’ armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, using intelligence from collaborators and surveillance devices. One such device was recently uncovered in a displacement camp in central Gaza and self-destructed during inspection.
Israel killed Ahmed Darwish, an elite commander in the Central Brigade of the Qassam Brigades, along with his aide Nader al-Nabahin, while a third man was critically wounded. An Israeli drone struck them shortly before midnight on Tuesday into Wednesday near a football field south of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
Field sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Darwish had survived several assassination attempts during the war. One source said he led an elite unit in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack and captured several Israelis.
Sources said Darwish had recently emerged as a key figure in the Central Brigade after senior commanders were killed, and had been working with others to rebuild the Qassam Brigades.
The Israeli military said it struck Hamas elite operatives during what it described as military training in central Gaza, calling them a threat. Hamas field sources denied this, saying they were gathered normally when they were hit.
Mysterious blast of a surveillance device
A blast struck near a displacement camp in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza before noon on Wednesday, causing no injuries and initially thought to be a drone strike.
Field sources said fighters had found an Israeli surveillance device and tried to dismantle it to access images and recordings. It then self-destructed, possibly due to a malfunction or remote detonation by an Israeli drone.
Hours later, a warplane hit the same site, killing one person and wounding six others, one critically.
Sources said armed factions in Gaza have found several such devices before and during the war, used to transmit live images to drones and Israeli operations rooms.
Israel has stepped up intelligence and operational activity in central Gaza, areas less damaged during the war and hit by fewer ground and air attacks than elsewhere. Hebrew media say the Qassam Brigades have largely retained their strength there.
Repeated strikes on police vehicles
On Sunday evening, the third day of Eid al-Fitr, a drone struck a Hamas-run police vehicle, killing three and wounding others. Field sources said one of the dead was Ahmed Hamdan, an elite field commander in the Nuseirat Battalion of the Qassam Brigades.
The Israeli military did not comment. The strike followed a similar attack days earlier on a Hamas police vehicle that killed at least four people, including prominent Qassam operatives, in central Gaza.
Asharq Al-Awsat monitoring shows that at least 10 field commanders, including company leaders, elite unit commanders, and deputy battalion commanders, have been killed by Israel in the past three weeks in a series of strikes.
Gaza’s Health Ministry says at least 690 Palestinians have been killed since a ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, 2025, bringing the total death toll since the war began to more than 72,265.
The killings have come alongside continued airstrikes, artillery fire, and demolitions along both sides of the so-called “yellow line,” and bulldozing of remaining homes along the main Salah al-Din road, particularly near Khan Younis and in areas such as Shuja’iyya and Jabalia.
Foiled assassination attempt
Military activity has coincided with operations by armed gangs in areas under Israeli control.
Hamas’ Radea (Deterrence) force said it foiled an attempt to assassinate a resistance commander, arresting two suspects and seizing their weapons and equipment, while two others fled.
It said interrogations revealed details about coordination between armed gangs and Israeli intelligence, which could help dismantle the groups.
Field sources said the target was a senior faction leader. They added that tighter security measures helped thwart the plot. Silenced pistols, cameras, and communication devices with Israeli SIM cards were seized.
Armed gangs have stepped up attacks on faction leaders and senior Hamas government officials. Some attempts have been foiled, while others have succeeded in recent months.
