An airstrike on Sunday hit a cafe located on Gaza's emergency seaport, a temporary floating dock off the coast, killing at least two Palestinians and wounding 12, health officials in Gaza said. The cafe was reported to be crowded with people who were marking public holidays at the time of the strike. Gaza health officials provided the casualty figures; there was no immediate response from Israeli authorities.
Officials said the attack struck a location that had been established as part of an emergency seaport project - a floating dock intended to be temporary. The health authorities in Gaza, who supplied the casualty totals, do not differentiate in their counts between combatants and civilians.
The strike comes against the backdrop of an October ceasefire that was brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump. That truce has not prevented further Israeli strikes in Gaza, according to the information released by Gaza health authorities. Since the ceasefire took effect, Gaza health officials report that some 900 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes; those figures do not separate combatants from civilians.
On the Israeli side, the military has reported that four Israeli soldiers have been killed by militants during the same period covered by the ceasefire. Diplomatically, Israel and Hamas remain at an impasse in indirect discussions over how to carry out the second phase of the ceasefire arrangement. That phase, as described by officials, includes steps such as the disarmament of the group and withdrawals of Israeli forces - matters on which the parties are currently deadlocked.
The circumstances surrounding the cafe strike - a crowded venue on a temporary floating seaport - highlight the complex and contested conditions along Gaza's coastline established since the truce. With the implementation of the second phase stalled and both sides reporting casualties since the truce began, the situation on the ground remains volatile.
Context and reporting notes:
- Casualty figures and descriptions of the location come from Gaza health officials.
- There was no immediate comment from Israeli authorities regarding the strike.
- Israeli military statements provided the toll of four soldiers killed by militants during the same period.