The day of the Hamas delegation to Cairo and the assassination of an Islamic Jihad leader

The day was dominated by two competing narratives: diplomatic movement and military escalation. From early morning, multiple outlets reported that a Hamas delegation was heading to Cairo for second-phase ceasefire talks, with Saudi channels claiming surprise progress on governance and disarmament clauses. Simultaneously, Israeli violations in Gaza continued, with artillery shelling and shootings reported throughout the day. By afternoon, Israel announced the assassination of an Islamic Jihad elite commander in southern Gaza, while airstrikes hit a mosque and residential areas, causing multiple casualties. In the West Bank, settler violence and demolitions persisted, and Defense Minister Katz ordered the army to prepare to occupy another refugee camp. Netanyahu met Trump in Washington without a press conference, reportedly carrying intelligence on Iran's nuclear program. The Gaza death toll was updated to 73,333.