IDF says it killed Hamas commander in cafe strike that killed dozens of civilians
After the attack on the popular al-Baqa cafe in Gaza City on Monday, family members in Gaza and abroad told the BBC of their shock at the scale of civilian casualties.
In a statement on Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the strike killed Ramzi Ramadan Abd Ali Saleh, along with Hisham Ayman Atiya Mansour, deputy head of Hamas's mortar unit, and Nissim Muhammad Suleiman Abu Sabha.
Saleh was a "significant source of knowledge" within Hamas and had been involved in planning and advancing "maritime terrorist attacks", the IDF said.
Israel's strike on bustling Gaza cafe killed a Hamas operative - but dozens more people were killed
Sources in Gaza had previously told the BBC a senior Hamas commander was rumoured to have been at the cafe at the time of the strike.
The IDF also said it had taken steps "to mitigate the risk of harming civilians" but did not provide any further details as to why so many people were killed in the incident.
The BBC has reviewed 29 names of people reported killed in the strike on the cafe, at least nine of whom were women, while several were children and teenagers.
Those killed included artists, students, social activists, a female boxer, a footballer and cafe staff.
Staff at Shifa Hospital, which received bodies from the attack, said its toll as of Thursday had reached 40 dead, including people who had succumbed to their injuries, and unidentified bodies.
An official at the hospital said some of the bodies had been "blown to pieces", and that 72 injured patients were brought there - many having sustained severe burns and significant injuries that required surgery.
The al-Baqa Cafeteria was well-known across the Gaza Strip, and considered by many to be among the territory's most scenic and vibrant meeting spots.
It had remained popular even during the war, especially due to its unusually stable internet connection.
The IDF did not directly respond to multiple BBC questions about whether it considered the number of civilian casualties to be proportionate.
In its statement on Sunday it said it would "continue to operate against the Hamas terrorist organization in order to remove any threat posed to Israeli civilians", before saying the "incident" was "under review".
Meanwhile, indirect talks between Israel and Hamas began in Qatar on Sunday to discuss the latest proposal for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal.
The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the 7 October 2023 attack, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
At least 57,338 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
Israeli strike on Gaza seafront cafe kills at least 20 Palestinians, witnesses and rescuers say
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wall Street Journal
16 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
U.S. Stocks Fall as Trump Renews Trade Tensions - What's News
P.M. Edition for July 7. President Trump extended the deadline on so-called reciprocal tariffs to Aug. 1 while announcing 25% tariffs on goods from Japan and South Korea. Several more nations received similar notifications. Plus, heavy rain continues in Texas, where the death toll from the flash floods has risen to 90. And President Trump is meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. WSJ national security correspondent Michael Gordon discusses how a changed Middle East could be ripe for Trump's dealmaking diplomacy. Alex Ossola hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free What's News newsletter.
CNN
21 minutes ago
- CNN
How Netanyahu factors into Trump's ultimate goal: brokering peace in the Middle East
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting with President Donald Trump Monday marks his third time at the White House since January. Unlike the previous two episodes, there's no public events on the schedule – leaving the two leaders' highly consequential Middle East discussion entirely private. The difference underscores Trump's parallel approaches to his Israeli counterpart. Even as he pulls Netanyahu close, joining Israel's war on Iran and calling for Netanyahu's corruption trial to be canceled, he is applying pressure on the prime minister to do something for him: end the war in Gaza. For Trump, a deal ending the 21-month conflict in Gaza would be another data point in both his effort to win a Nobel Peace Prize and his long-running and highly difficult quest to cement peace in the Middle East as part of his legacy. He clearly sees Netanyahu as a critical ally in that goal, though the president has occasionally lashed out at the Israeli leader when he appeared to become an obstacle instead. Now, Trump needs both Hamas and Netanyahu to agree to terms each has previously rejected, namely language about whether the ceasefire will end the war altogether. After months of halting progress, there does appear to be new momentum toward a deal. Trump simply needs to ensure, potentially by exerting additional pressure on Netanyahu during the White House visit, that it doesn't fall apart. 'The president could put pressure on the prime minister, but can also give enticements, the carrots, if you will,' said Michael Oren, the former Israeli ambassador to the United States. 'One of them would be keeping a military option on the table vis-a-vis Iran, if Iran tries to rebuild some of those destroyed or obliterated nuclear facilities – a very difficult decision given the depth of American opposition, of the public, to further American military involvement in Iran.' Negotiators from Israel and Hamas were in Qatar hammering out details of a 60-day truce that would include phased release of hostages and allow new aid to flow into the besieged enclave. Trump's foreign envoy Steve Witkoff plans to join the talks later this week, the White House said Monday, an indication that progress was still being made in the talks. Qatar put forward the latest proposal early last week, and it was quickly accepted by Israel. The plan attempted to address one of Hamas' key demands that any ceasefire agreement would lead to a comprehensive end to the war. On Friday, Hamas said they had responded positively to the proposal, but that they had also requested adjustments. Despite saying these changes were 'unacceptable,' Israel also announced it would send a team to take part in proximity talks, one of the last stages in the process before a final deal. In the past, ceasefire deals have seemed close, only to vaporize over intractable disagreements. But the shifting dynamics in the region, prompted by the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, seemed to generate greater optimism that a deal could be at hand. 'The prime minister's coming to this meeting now much strengthened by Israel's military victory over Iran. The president is coming into this meeting much strengthened by America's victory over Iran,' Oren said. 'Both leaders can show a certain amount of flexibility. Clearly, the president wants this deal.' If an agreement is struck, Trump appears poised to take credit, with help from Netanyahu. The prime minister said as he was departing Israel to come to Washington that his meeting with Trump 'can certainly help advance these results,' and it was clear Trump was hoping the meeting would result in progress. 'I think there's a good chance we have a deal with Hamas during the week, during the coming week, pertaining to quite a few of the hostages,' Trump told reporters in New Jersey on Sunday as he was preparing to return to Washington. In Trump's mind, ending the war in Gaza could be a critical step toward his larger goals for the region, including the biggest prize: normalizing relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel as part of the Abraham Accords that he brokered during his first term. Having Riyadh join the accords could prompt other Arab or Muslim countries to come along as well. Saudi leaders — including the powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — have said normalization can't happen while the war in Gaza is ongoing, making a ceasefire deal critical to Trump's broader ambitions. Also critical to Trump's wider goals: a discussion about what happens in Gaza after the war ends. Israel has insisted Gaza cannot govern the enclave. It remains unclear what role the Palestinian Authority would play; it could be critical to securing support from Gulf nations in helping rebuild Gaza. One option rarely discussed is Trump's proposal — first raised during Netanyahu's visit to the White House in February — to seize control of the strip, remove its Palestinian residents and develop the area as a 'Riviera of the Middle East.' The plan caused an uproar when Trump first raised the idea alongside Netanyahu during an East Room press conference. But it's mostly been put aside, at least in public discussions of the president's Middle East plans. On Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the war needed to end, and the hostages returned, before any rebuilding can begin – walking back the 'take over' language that Trump had once used to describe those plans. 'This has become an uninhabitable place for human beings. And the president has a big heart, he wants this to be a prosperous, safe part of the region where people and families can thrive. And there will be a need for a real rebuilding effort when the time comes,' she said. 'But right now, we need to end this war and we need to bring all of the hostages home.'
Washington Post
29 minutes ago
- Washington Post
U.S. further eases sanctions on Syria by lifting terrorist designation
BEIRUT — The U.S. State Department said Monday that it had taken another step in easing longtime sanctions on Syria by revoking the terrorist designation of Hayʼat Tahrir al-Sham, a group headed by the country's new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa. HTS, which led an offensive in December that swept Bashar al-Assad's regime from power, was once affiliated with al-Qaeda but says it has become more moderate. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that the designation was being lifted in recognition of 'the positive actions taken by the new Syrian government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa.' The revocation is set to take effect Tuesday. Aaron Y. Zelin, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said that lifting the designation will help the Syrian government get more direct access to capital beyond humanitarian aid and World Bank loans, and could help speed the reconstruction of a country battered by civil war. The announcement would also help the government recruit talent from the Syrian diaspora that may have been reluctant to join because of the designations, he said. 'It's the policy process catching up with Trump's announcement in Riyadh,' he said, referring to President Donald Trump's declaration in May, when he said he would remove sanctions on Syria and met with Sharaa. 'This will be an ongoing process that the U.S. government and bureaucracy will be continuing to deal with for at least the next six to 10 months,' Zelin said. The Syrian Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Although U.S. sanctions on Syria date back to the 1970s, most were imposed during Syria's 13-year civil war as a way to isolate and weaken the Assad regime. The measures wreaked havoc on the country's economy and left many ordinary citizens impoverished. Sanctions were also imposed on some of the rebel groups that emerged during the war, including HTS and Sharaa, then known by his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani. U.S. sanctions relief began to take shape in late May after the Trump administration granted exemptions for a host of sanctions on the country's leadership and financial institutions, and issued a six-month waiver of the Caesar Act. An executive order signed by Trump last week directed his administration to remove most sanctions and terrorist designations. Sanctions relief has helped the country rejoin the global financial system, with international banking transactions resuming on June 19. Zelin said the full removal of sanctions and export controls on Syria requires action by the State, Treasury and Commerce departments, as well as Congress. The action Monday was 'just one of many announcements that will be forthcoming in the months ahead,' he said. The move also comes amid U.S. efforts to ease U.N. sanctions on Syria's new government. The executive order last week also directed the State Department to 'explore avenues for sanctions relief at the United Nations to support stability in Syria.' U.N. sanctions have prevented Sharaa from traveling outside of Syria without a Security Council exemption. Monday's announcement also comes amid the backdrop of indirect negotiations between Israel and Syria; a fact sheet on last week's executive order said working with Syria can help 'secure Peace in the Middle East.' At a news conference on Monday in Beirut, U.S. special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said 'dialogue has started between Syria and Israel.'
