Israel Kills Azzam Al-Hayya, Son of Hamas Chief Negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya, in Gaza Strike

An Israeli air strike killed Azzam Al-Hayya, son of Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, as Hamas leaders held talks in Cairo aimed at safeguarding their truce with Israel.

“An Israeli air strike has killed the son of Hamas' chief negotiator in US-mediated talks over the Gaza Strip's future, as leaders of the militant group held talks in Cairo aimed at safeguarding their truce with Israel”

AAP News

Basim Naim said Azzam Al-Hayya “succumbed to his wounds on Thursday after being struck in an Israeli attack on Wednesday night,” and Reuters reported that Israel intensified attacks on the Hamas-run police force in Gaza.

AAP News

The violence also included an Israeli air strike that targeted a police post in western Gaza City, where health officials and the Hamas-run interior ministry said at least three police officers were killed and other people, including one policeman, were wounded.

The Reuters report said the talks in Cairo involved the Board of Peace’s lead envoy, Nickolay Mladenov, as leaders of Hamas and other Palestinian factions pushed Trump’s Gaza plan into its second phase.

In the same Reuters account, the plan agreed in October involves Israeli troops withdrawing from Gaza and reconstruction starting as Hamas lays down its weapons, while local medics said at least 830 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire deal took effect.

After the attack, dozens of Palestinians rallied in Gaza at the funeral of Hayya, chanting “Allahu akbar”, or “God is Greatest,” before walking him to burial.

Hayya accused Israel of trying to undermine mediators’ efforts to push ahead with US President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan, saying, “These Zionist attacks and violations clearly indicate that the occupation does not want to abide by a ceasefire or by the first phase,” to Al Jazeera.

Al Jazeera

Hazem Qassem told Reuters that the killing was “a failed attempt by Israel to influence the negotiating team and win political concessions,” as Hamas and other factions continued talks with regional mediators in Cairo.

Separately, Reuters reported an Israeli airstrike killed Naseem al-Kalazani, a colonel in the Hamas-run police force, when it targeted his vehicle near the al-Mawasi area in western Khan Younis, and medics said the attack wounded at least 17 other people.

In the same Reuters account, Israel said its strikes are aimed at thwarting attempts by Hamas and other Palestinian militants to stage attacks against its forces, while Israel and Hamas blamed each other for ceasefire violations.

The talks over implementing Trump’s Gaza plan hinge on Hamas disarmament, which Reuters described as “a sticking point in talks to implement the plan and cement an October ceasefire that halted two years of full-blown war.”

“Three security officers were martyred and a fourth was seriously injured in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a security checkpoint west of Gaza City, according to the interior ministry in the Gaza Strip, today, Thursday”

Al-Jazeera Net

A Hamas official told Reuters that the group would not engage in serious talks over the implementation of the second phase before Israel concluded obligations from the first phase, including a complete halt to attacks.

In parallel, Anadolu Ajansı reported that five Palestinians, including a police officer, were killed in Israeli air strikes targeting civilian gatherings and a police vehicle in northern and southern Gaza despite an ongoing ceasefire.

Anadolu Ajansı also said the attacks came as Gaza’s Interior Ministry held Israel “fully responsible” for targeting “police headquarters, capabilities, and personnel,” describing the continued attacks as a “flagrant violation” of international law.

With Gaza’s Health Ministry figures cited by Anadolu Ajansı and Al Jazeera Net, the sources tied the ongoing violence to the ceasefire period, including claims that Israel’s strikes and gunfire had killed 824 Palestinians and injured 2,316 since the deal was signed, and that the agreement has been in effect since Oct. 10, 2025.