IDF says it killed Hamas commander in cafe strike that killed dozens of civilians

Israeli forces accidental they killed the commandant of Hamas's naval unit successful bluish Gaza successful a onslaught connected a seaside cafe successful which dozens of civilians were killed.

After the onslaught connected the fashionable al-Baqa cafe successful Gaza City connected Monday, household members successful Gaza and overseas told the BBC of their daze astatine the standard of civilian casualties.

In a connection connected Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the onslaught killed Ramzi Ramadan Abd Ali Saleh, on with Hisham Ayman Atiya Mansour, lawman caput of Hamas's mortar unit, and Nissim Muhammad Suleiman Abu Sabha.

Saleh was a "significant root of knowledge" wrong Hamas and had been progressive successful readying and advancing "maritime violent attacks", the IDF said.

Sources successful Gaza had antecedently told the BBC a elder Hamas commandant was rumoured to person been astatine the cafe astatine the clip of the strike.

The IDF besides said it had taken steps "to mitigate the hazard of harming civilians" but did not supply immoderate further details arsenic to wherefore truthful galore radical were killed successful the incident.

The BBC has reviewed 29 names of radical reported killed successful the onslaught connected the cafe, astatine slightest 9 of whom were women, portion respective were children and teenagers.

Those killed included artists, students, societal activists, a pistillate boxer, a footballer and cafe staff.

Staff astatine Shifa Hospital, which received bodies from the attack, said its toll arsenic of Thursday had reached 40 dead, including radical who had succumbed to their injuries, and unidentified bodies.

An authoritative astatine the infirmary said immoderate of the bodies had been "blown to pieces", and that 72 injured patients were brought determination - galore having sustained terrible burns and important injuries that required surgery.

The al-Baqa Cafeteria was well-known crossed the Gaza Strip, and considered by galore to beryllium among the territory's astir scenic and vibrant gathering spots.

It had remained fashionable adjacent during the war, particularly owed to its unusually unchangeable net connection.

The IDF did not straight respond to aggregate BBC questions astir whether it considered the fig of civilian casualties to beryllium proportionate.

In its connection connected Sunday it said it would "continue to run against the Hamas violent enactment successful bid to region immoderate menace posed to Israeli civilians", earlier saying the "incident" was "under review".

Meanwhile, indirect talks betwixt Israel and Hamas began successful Qatar connected Sunday to sermon the latest connection for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage merchandise deal.

The Israeli subject launched a run successful Gaza successful effect to the 7 October 2023 attack, successful which astir 1,200 radical were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At slightest 57,338 radical person been killed successful Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run wellness ministry.