Hamas slams Israeli escalation in Gaza

Tel Aviv [Israel], December 14: The Israeli military said it had killed senior Hamas leader Raed Saad in an attack on Gaza City on Saturday. There was no immediate confirmation by the Palestinian group, which slammed the attack as an attempt by Israel to "undermine and sabotage" the fragile ceasefire in Gaza.
The Palestinian group said the attack represents "a blatant violation" of the US-brokered Gaza ceasefire agreement that came into force in October.
"This crime reaffirms that the [Israeli] occupation is deliberately seeking to undermine and sabotage the ceasefire agreement through its escalating and continuous violations," Hamas said in a statement shared on Telegram.
Israel said the strike targeted a "key" Hamas member.
The Palestinian group's statement did not provide any information on whether a member was targeted or hurt in the attack.
Hamas called on the ceasefire deal mediators and guarantor countries to take immediate action "to restrain" Israel, which it said was "disregarding its obligations under the agreement and seeking to undermine and destroy it".
Al Jazeera Arabic reported that at least five people have been killed in the Israeli attack on the car in western Gaza City.
According to a source in Gaza's ambulance and emergency services, more than 25 people were also wounded in the strike.
An Israeli military statement said Raed Saad has been killed in an attack on Gaza conducted in cooperation with Israel's Shin Bet intelligence agency.
The army claimed that Hamas was trying to "restore its capabilities and strengthen itself" in recent weeks.
Saad was one of the last Hamas veterans remaining in the Gaza Strip, held a series of senior positions, and was close to Marwan Issa, deputy head of Hamas's military wing, it added.
Meanwhile, the Israeli authorities continued to block the entry of basic shelter materials, fuel, and water infrastructure, leaving people in Gaza "exposed to entirely preventable harm" after Storm Byron, said Oxfam.
The storm has swept across the Gaza Strip over the past few days, killing at least 14 people and injuring others as harsh winds, relentless rain and collapsing structures crush families already displaced by Israel's devastating assault on the enclave, according to Gaza's Ministry of Interior and National Security.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said it has enough shelter supplies to help as many as 1.3 million people in Gaza.
"But the Israeli Authorities continue to block UNRWA from directly bringing aid into the Gaza Strip," UNRWA said in a social media post.
The agency stressed that winter is worsening "already dire living conditions" for Palestinians in the bombarded enclave, including hundreds of thousands of displaced families.
Source: Qatar Tribune