IDF Kills Hamas Nahal Oz Commander Hamza Sharbasi and Azzam Al-Hayya (Son of Chief Negotiator) in Gaza Strike

An Israeli airstrike in the Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City on May 13, 2026 killed Hamza Sharbasi, a commander in Hamas's Shejaiya Battalion who participated in the October 7, 2023 raid on the Nahal Oz military base. The same strike also killed Azzam al-Hayya, the 23-year-old son of Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya. Azzam's death marks at least the second son of Khalil al-Hayya killed by Israeli strikes since the October 2025 ceasefire — a previous son was killed on May 8. IDF said both targets were armed operatives; the simultaneous killing of the Hamas negotiator's son is seen as a calculated pressure tactic against disarmament talks, which have been deadlocked since late April. Hamas condemned the strike as 'targeting the families of our leadership to break Palestinian resolve.' The strike further complicated the Board of Peace-mediated negotiations over Hamas disarmament.