A child's shoes lying in blood at the site of an Israeli strike in Gaza city. Reuters
A child's shoes lying in blood at the site of an Israeli strike in Gaza city. Reuters

Child among six dead as Israel bombs seaside cafe in Gaza


Six people were killed in an Israeli strike on a seaside cafe in Gaza on Tuesday, Palestinian officials said, with others left stranded in the water.

The air strike on Gaza city's fishing harbour came a day after US envoy Jared Kushner ended inconclusive peace talks with representatives of Israel and Hamas.

The Israeli military said it struck “several Hamas commanders” planning attacks on its troops in Gaza. Palestinian officials said a child was among the dead, and images from the scene showed a child's shoes lying in blood among the wreckage.

Several more people were injured and some “fell into the port basin”, triggering rescue attempts, Palestinian official media said.

The port has become a large displacement camp for Palestinian families during the war that began in October 2023. Footage on social ​media ⁠showed Palestinians tending to those wounded at ‌the cafe and in nearby tents. Some of the casualties were taken to hospital.

Palestinian officials say more than 1,200 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since a ceasefire ended the worst of the onslaught last October. The bodies of 800 more have been retrieved in that time.

Palestinians at the site of the Israeli strike on a cafe in Gaza city. Reuters
Palestinians at the site of the Israeli strike on a cafe in Gaza city. Reuters

Hopes of making progress on US President Donald Trump's peace plan were raised last month when a strategy was announced for Hamas to lay down its weapons in phases in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal.

But Israel has not accepted the deal. Mr Kushner, Mr Trump's son-in-law, left Jerusalem on Monday without a major breakthrough after two days of talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas leaders and mediators.

An Israeli official said Mr Netanyahu made it clear that the military would continue to operate in Gaza and that there would be no pullback of troops. Israel said it did agree at the Kushner talks to set up working groups on demilitarising Gaza and improving sanitation in the territory.

Updated: August 18, 2026, 6:24 PM