Israel says it killed Hamas battalion commander in Deir al-Balah airstrike

The Israeli military said Friday that a Hamas battalion commander was killed in an airstrike on Deir el-Belah in central Gaza. The army said the commander had been active within Hamas's military apparatus in the territory. Palestinian media reported renewed Israeli airstrikes across multiple areas of Gaza on Saturday, with fatalities reported in both the strip and the occupied West Bank. The strikes followed two Israeli attacks on Gaza City and the Nuseirat refugee camp on Wednesday, August 19, which Palestinian sources said killed at least 10 people and wounded around 20 others. Hamas accepted a second-phase peace roadmap proposed by the United States in late July that would require the group to disarm and Israel to withdraw from Gaza. Israel has not approved the plan; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Hamas surrender all its weapons before any Israeli pullback. Large parts of Gaza remain under Israeli control, and civilian casualties have continued to rise as fighting intensifies across the territory.