Seven killed in Gaza on Nakba Day as Israel says it targets Hamas member

Three women and one child are among the civilians killed in Israel’s latest attacks on Gaza City.At least seven Palestinians have been killed and dozens injured in two Israeli air strikes on a residential building and a civilian vehicle in Gaza City, according to medical sources.The deaths on Friday come as Israel said it carried out a strike on Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the head of the armed wing of Hamas in Gaza.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Photos: Millions of Palestinians mark 78 years since the Nakbalist 2 of 4Nakba: Jewish voices are challenging the stories Israel tells about itselflist 3 of 4Historical reckoning: The push for the US to acknowledge the Nakbalist 4 of 4Three years of the West Bank’s ‘third Nakba’end of listIn a joint statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel-katz" class="entity-link entity-person" data-entity-id="4249" data-entity-type="person">Israel Katz said they targeted “one of the architects” of the October 7 attacks. Their statement did not say whether Haddad was killed.Hamas has not commented, and Al Jazeera has not independently confirmed Israel’s claim.Medical sources told the Anadolu news agency that three of the Palestinian victims were killed in a strike on a civilian vehicle, and four others died in an attack on a building in the Rimal neighbourhood in western Gaza City.Three women and a child were among the dead, sources told Al Jazeera. Anadolu said at least 45 others were injured, several reportedly in critical condition.“According to witnesses on the ground the attack involved at least four missiles,” said Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Gaza, Ibrahim Al Khalili. He added that a “massive fire” engulfed the residential building that was struck.There was “panic” at the scene as Palestinians were forced to flee, said Al Khalili.This latest Israeli attack comes on the 78th anniversary of the Nakba – a day of remembrance for the estimated 750,000 Palestinians who were expelled from their homes during the 1948 war due to the creation of Israel.Gathering around a residential apartment as a fire burns after Israeli shelling, according to the Ministry of Health, in Gaza City, May 15, 2026. [Ebrahim Hajjaj/Reuters]Al Khalili explained that the attack site west of Gaza City is “overcrowded” because many people moved from east of Gaza City in search of refuge from countless Israeli military operations.