Israeli airstrikes killed two Palestinians in Gaza on August 13, 2026, including Gaza City civil police chief Colonel Jamal Abu Kamil. These are the first reported fatalities in over a week, following a period where Israel scaled back attacks under U.S. pressure. Israel claims Abu Kamil was a Hamas commander, which Gaza police deny. The strikes come amid political tension as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's 15-point peace plan.
Two Palestinians killed Thursday
- ▪Israeli airstrikes killed two Palestinians, including a senior police official, in the Gaza Strip on August 13, 2026, marking the first reported fatalities in more than a week.
- ▪An Israeli airstrike on August 13, 2026, targeted two people on a motorcycle in western Khan Younis, killing Huthaifa Kawari and wounding another person.
US pressure on strikes
- ▪Israel scaled back its targeted airstrikes in the Gaza Strip under diplomatic pressure from United States President Donald Trump to accept a new peace proposal.
- ▪United States President Donald Trump announced a breakthrough plan where Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza as Hamas disarms under an International Stabilization Force.
- ▪Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rejected Donald Trump's Gaza withdrawal plan on August 9, 2026, stating forces would not withdraw until Hamas is disarmed.
IDF chief approval requirement
- ▪Israel's political leadership instructed the military not to carry out strikes in Gaza without the IDF chief's approval, except in cases of imminent danger.
- ▪The August 13, 2026, drone strikes were the first fatalities since the Israeli military began curbing strikes on Gaza under the new chief approval guidelines.
Police official Jamal Abu Kamil
- ▪An Israeli drone strike on August 13, 2026, killed Gaza City civil police chief Colonel Jamal Abu Kamil, also known as Jamal Abu Kmail, in Gaza City.
- ▪The drone strike targeting Jamal Abu Kamil's vehicle on al-Rashid Street in Gaza City also wounded two other people on August 13, 2026.
Hamas targeting claims disputed
- ▪The Israeli military claimed Jamal Abu Kamil was a Hamas commander who participated in the October 7 attacks, which Gaza's police force denied.
- ▪The Gaza police force stated that Jamal Abu Kamil was committed solely to his police duties and had no connection to other activities.
Ceasefire violations continue
- ▪Israeli operations have killed more than 1,250 Palestinians in Gaza since a U.S.-backed ceasefire agreement took effect in October 2025.
- ▪An Israeli airstrike on August 12, 2026, in Beit Lahia killed municipal worker Mohanad Saada and wounded five others, ending a weeklong pause in air raids.
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