Israeli Strike on Gaza City Seaport Cafe Kills Six, Including a Child

An Israeli airstrike hit a crowded cafe at Gaza City's port on August 18, 2026, killing at least six people, including a child, and wounding 14 others. The strike hit as displaced people sheltering at the port — now a makeshift displacement camp — came out of their tents to escape extreme heat. The IDF claimed the strike, calling it a 'precise aerial strike' that targeted a gathering of several Hamas commanders and members of the Nukhba Force elite unit that led the October 7, 2023 invasion, but provided no evidence. Hamas denounced the strike as a 'blatant disregard for all calls for a ceasefire issued by mediators and guarantor states.' The strike came a day after US envoy Jared Kushner concluded an unsuccessful regional visit aimed at advancing the 15-point Gaza peace plan, with both Hamas and Netanyahu refusing to budge on their core demands.