In a surprise attack, an Israeli drone fired a missile at a group of Palestinian youths as they arrived at the funeral of another young man it had killed hours earlier in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, killing at least 7 youths from the targeted group.

The youths were preparing to attend the funeral of Taher Abdel Wahed, who was struck by a drone as he left his tent, where he was displaced, to go to a nearby mosque for Friday prayers. He suffered serious injuries and was pronounced dead about an hour after the attack.

Palestinians bury a slain man in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza on Friday (dpa)

Luring a Wanted Man for Israel

Field sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Abdel Wahed is the brother of a senior commander in Saraya al-Quds, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, whom Israel has tried to assassinate at least four times during the war and after the ceasefire took effect.

The commander in Saraya al-Quds faced his first assassination attempt while in a residential apartment in the Nuseirat camp on October 24, 2023, which resulted in the killing of 18 Palestinians and the wounding of dozens after the building he was in was completely bombed. He suffered serious injuries but later recovered.

On October 25, 2025, after the ceasefire came into effect, the same commander faced another assassination attempt that wounded his companion while he escaped. The missile used was fired at his mobile phone, which he did not have with him at the time, and it hit his personal messenger (mail carrier), while the commander was several meters away from where several civilians were wounded, according to field testimonies published by Asharq Al-Awsat.

A Palestinian child at a site targeted by an Israeli strike in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza on Friday (AP)

Field sources estimated that the operation targeting the brother of the senior Saraya al-Quds commander was intended to lure him out of hiding to attend his brother's funeral, the second brother killed by Israeli forces during the war.

Funeral Targeted

The sources indicated that the commander pursued by Israeli forces did not attend the funeral, but some of his close associates did, and as they approached the funeral site, they were targeted, killing 7, including two who worked with the wanted commander.

Palestinians jostle for a meal from a charity kitchen in the Mawasi area south of Gaza on Friday (dpa)

One field source said: 'The occupation could have killed the two close associates elsewhere, but it preferred to commit a massacre to take revenge on the wanted commander after Israeli intelligence officers failed to lure him to his brother's funeral.'

The source confirmed that the attack occurred just a few meters from the funeral site, which had just begun when the strike happened, noting that one minute separated them from reaching the funeral, which would have resulted in an even larger massacre killing dozens, while more than 20 people who were passing by were wounded, some of whom were heading to the same funeral.

In response to the incident, the Israeli military said it targeted a cell of the Islamic Jihad movement, which has influence in parts of the strip alongside Hamas, as reported by Reuters.

At least 14 Palestinians were killed on Friday in a series of Israeli strikes, including those killed at the funeral.

Palestinians jostle for a meal from a charity kitchen in the Mawasi area south of Gaza on Friday (dpa)

Ongoing Killings

Israeli operations continued on Saturday inside Gaza, with 3 Palestinians killed in artillery shelling as they tried to reach their homes in the Dawla area of the Zeitoun neighborhood south of Gaza City, attempting to retrieve belongings after they were suddenly displaced days earlier following the advance of Israeli vehicles and the expansion of the yellow line.

Meanwhile, a young Palestinian was reported dead after being directly hit by a strike at the Shaabiya intersection in Gaza City as he left for Friday prayers.

Expanding the 'Yellow Line'

The killings come amid Israel's expansion of its control inside Gaza, as military vehicles advanced in the early hours of Saturday into the eastern areas of Abu al-Ajin, Wadi al-Salqa, and the Qastal Towers east of Deir al-Balah in the central strip, amid continuous artillery shelling and gunfire.

These forces placed the yellow concrete blocks referred to as the 'yellow line', the first withdrawal line defined in the ceasefire agreement announced in October 2025, for a distance of no more than 200 meters from multiple directions in the eastern areas of Deir al-Balah.

Residents of those areas were forced to evacuate yesterday after a small quadcopter drone ordered them through loudspeakers to leave and head deeper into Deir al-Balah. On Saturday morning, a Palestinian was wounded in those areas after trying to approach his home.

The Israeli military also ordered residents of displacement camps in the Zeitoun neighborhood to evacuate on Saturday afternoon in preparation for a military operation of unclear nature, amid expectations that it intends to expand its control within the neighborhood located southeast of Gaza City.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces carried out a series of demolitions overnight and in the morning east of Khan Younis and its northern areas.