“People screamed as their homes were burning,” said one resident, Ayed Jafry, 45. Several people were injured, including an 86-year-old man, he said.
In the aftermath of the Hamas attack that set off the war in Gaza, Israeli leaders vowed to wipe out the militants once and for all. But in the first two days of the cease-fire, Hamas has been making clear that it intends to remains a major force in the territory.
In an interview with The Times, a Hamas official, Mousa Abu Marzouk, suggested that at least some senior members of the group hoped to engage in “dialogue” with the United States, even though the American government has designated it as a terrorist organization since 1997.
Mr. Abu Marzouk, who is based in Qatar, said Hamas was ready to welcome an envoy from the Trump administration despite a longstanding American policy to provide Israel with weapons and defend it at international institutions.
“He can come and see the people and try to understand their feelings and wishes,” he said of the envoy, “so that the American position can be based on the interests of all the parties, and not only one party.”
Reporting was contributed by Hiba Yazbek, Natan Odenheimer, Fatima AbdulKarim, andAfif Amireh.
