Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Friday, January 16, 2026
From the Liveblog of
Friday, January 16, 2026
Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander and his wife said killed by IDF in Gaza last night
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Palestinian men maneuver past debris and broken furniture, after an Israeli strike on the family home of Hamas military commander Muhammad al-Hawli,, west of Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip on January 16, 2026. (Bashar Taleb/AFP)
An Israeli airstrike on a home in central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp last night reportedly killed Ahraf al-Khatib, a commander in the al-Quds Brigades, Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s armed wing.
According to Arabic media, the strike targeted the Khatib family home, killing him and his wife and wounding several others.
Israel has not commented on the reports.
The strike that was said to have killed Khatib came hours after Israel reportedly killed at least six people including Muhammad al-Hawli, a commander in Hamas’s armed wing, in a strike on his family home in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah.
Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan confirmed Hawli was killed. Israel has not commented on the alleged assassination.
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