Israel's killing of top commander threatens ceasefire, says Hamas

Israel's assassination of a senior Hamas commander threatens the viability of the Gaza ceasefire, the chief negotiator of the Palestinian group said on Sunday, calling on US President Donald Trump to demand Israel comply with the terms of the truce.

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Thousands of Hamas supporters rallied in central Gaza City at a funeral for senior commander Raed Saad and three associates killed alongside him on Saturday.

The mourners chanted “Martyrs are dear to God” and carried the bodies in coffins draped in green Hamas flags, in one of the group's biggest displays of its presence since a US-backed ceasefire deal came into effect in Gaza in October.

Saturday's strike west of Gaza City killed four people, according to an Associated Press journalist who saw their bodies arrive at Shifa Hospital. Another three were wounded, according to Al-Awda hospital. Hamas in its initial statement described the vehicle struck as a civilian one. Israeli airstrikes and shootings in Gaza have killed at least 391 Palestinians since the ceasefire took hold, according to Palestinian health officials.

In a televised address, Hamas chief negotiator Khalil Al Hayya, who lives in exile, confirmed the killing of Saad, the highest-profile assassination of a senior Hamas figure since the truce.

“The continued Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement... and latest assassinations that targeted Saad and others threaten the viability of the agreement,” Hayya said.