ALBAWABA- At least eight Palestinians, including a child, were killed and 14 others injured in an Israeli airstrike on a café in the Gaza port area on Tuesday, according to Palestinian health officials.
The site has been used as a displacement area during the conflict. The Israeli military said the strike targeted Hamas commanders who were allegedly using the location to plan attacks.
The strike came a day after US President Donald Trump’s envoy and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, concluded a two-day diplomatic mission aimed at reviving a stalled US-backed roadmap for ending the Gaza conflict. Kushner first met Hamas political leaders in Cairo before traveling to Israel for a lengthy meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.
The talks were intended to bridge fundamental differences over the sequencing of the proposed second phase of the peace plan, particularly Hamas’ disarmament and an Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza.
Kushner’s meeting with Netanyahu was described by a Board of Peace official as “lengthy, in-depth, and very productive,” with the official saying that the sides had agreed on a path forward. However, reports indicated that no breakthrough was achieved on the central dispute.
Netanyahu has insisted that Israeli forces will not withdraw from Gaza until Hamas is completely disarmed, while Hamas has demanded an end to Israeli attacks and an Israeli withdrawal as part of the implementation of the agreement.
Following the meeting, Kushner said the United States would not restrict Israel’s right to defend itself and warned that Israel could resume or intensify military action if Hamas failed to disarm. He also said reconstruction of Gaza would not begin until the territory was demilitarized. The proposed roadmap envisions Hamas surrendering its weapons and transferring governing authority to a Palestinian technocratic administration, followed by an Israeli withdrawal and an international effort to stabilize and rebuild Gaza.
The latest bloodshed has therefore intensified concerns that continued Israeli military operations could undermine efforts to move into the second phase of the US-backed peace framework. The strike also came as Arab and Islamic governments were publicly criticizing Israel for rejecting the roadmap and, in their view, obstructing efforts to end the war.
On Sunday, the foreign ministers of Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Pakistan and Indonesia jointly condemned Israel’s declared rejection of the US-backed roadmap. They said Israel’s position threatened efforts to end the war and held Israel responsible for obstructing progress toward implementing the plan. The statement reflected growing regional concern that disagreement over the sequence of disarmament, withdrawal and reconstruction could prevent the transition to the plan’s next phase.
The Arab and Islamic governments have urged the parties to fulfill their commitments under the peace framework and have called for an end to military operations that could further destabilize Gaza and undermine diplomatic efforts. Their intervention came as mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye continued working with the United States to keep the process alive despite the deep disagreement between Israel and Hamas.
The dispute centers on the sequencing of the proposed second phase. Hamas has indicated conditional acceptance of the US-backed roadmap, including eventual disarmament and the transfer of authority in Gaza to a civilian Palestinian administration, but insists that Israel first halt attacks and withdraw from territory it continues to control. Israel, meanwhile, maintains that Hamas must be fully disarmed before any substantial military withdrawal or reconstruction can take place.
The Gaza port strike has added urgency to those disagreements. Coming less than 24 hours after Kushner met with Netanyahu, the attack illustrates the fragile environment in which the diplomatic effort is unfolding. Although the United States has publicly pressed for progress on the Gaza roadmap, Israeli officials continue to emphasize their military freedom of action, while Hamas has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire and undermining the conditions necessary for implementation.
The latest casualties also underscore the human cost of the stalled process. Palestinian health officials say more than 1,200 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire period began, while four Israeli soldiers have also been killed during the same period.
With Israeli strikes continuing, Hamas and Israel still divided over the order in which disarmament and withdrawal should occur, and Arab and Islamic states pressing Israel to implement the roadmap, the future of the second phase remains uncertain. The latest Israeli assaults threaten to deepen mistrust between the parties and complicate the efforts of Kushner and other mediators to convert the US-backed framework into a sustained ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal, and eventual reconstruction of Gaza.
