Israeli Strike on Gaza City Port Cafe Targeting Nukhba Commanders Kills 6, Including a Child

An Israeli strike hit a crowded cafe at the Gaza City port — an area that has become a displacement camp — on August 18, 2026, during what the IDF said was a meeting of Hamas's elite Nukhba force. The military said it targeted a Nukhba company commander, three platoon commanders, and other operatives it accused of 'planning attacks against Israeli troops operating in the Strip,' adding that at least one participant had taken part in the October 7, 2023 attack. Palestinian medics and the Shihab news agency said the strike killed six people, including a child, and wounded ten others; the intensity of the blast reportedly pushed some of the dead and injured into the sea, complicating recovery. The IDF said it took steps to minimize civilian harm and that verified strike results would be released later. Palestinian accounts described the site as a civilian cafe rather than a militant command post, a discrepancy that has recurred across the week's strikes.