GAZA CITY, Oct 4, 2026 — Israel said on Saturday that it attempted to kill Hamas' top leader in the Gaza Strip in an airstrike on an apartment that local officials said killed five people, four of them women. The pre-dawn strike came on the anniversary, according to the Jewish calendar, of the October 7, 2023 attack, the deadliest-ever day for Israel, which retaliated with a devastating offensive in Gaza. According to Japan Times, Malay Mail and Hindustan Times, the Israeli military said it aimed to kill Ali al-Amoudi, describing him as the "right-hand man" of slain Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar and saying he was involved in planning the October 7 attack. Palestinians inspected the site of an early morning Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Saturday. Israeli strikes overnight killed five people, according to Shifa Hospital. Four women were among the dead. A mother and daughter among them were Christians, a minority in Gaza. According to Yeni Safak, Israeli warplanes targeted a residential building in western Gaza City early Saturday, killing four women, including Palestinian Christian volunteers who served displaced families at Holy Family Church and a university lecturer along with her mother, in the latest breach of the fragile ceasefire agreement. Israel said it was reviewing whether it killed or injured al-Amoudi. The strike happened despite the ceasefire in place since October 2025. Gaza Health Ministry said 1,445 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire.