Israeli Strike Kills Six in Gaza City a Day After Kushner Urged Restraint; Hamas Accuses Israel of Undermining Ceasefire

August 18, 2026 — The IDF struck what it said was a meeting of Hamas commanders and elite operatives in Gaza City, killing six people (including a 13-year-old boy and his father) and wounding 14, per Gaza's Hamas-run civil defense agency and al-Shifa Hospital staff. The strike came one day after Jared Kushner pressed Netanyahu to restrain Israel's near-daily Gaza attacks, which have killed more than 1,200 people since the nominal October 2025 ceasefire took effect. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad jointly accused Israel of undermining the stalled peace process 'in clear defiance of the mediators' efforts to solidify the ceasefire agreement,' calling for stepped-up international pressure to end the violations. Separately, an Israeli tally cited by FDD's Long War Journal counted 16 ceasefire violations by Palestinian armed groups between July 31 and August 18, underscoring that both sides accuse the other of eroding the truce even as the Board of Peace's disarmament-sequencing talks continue.