Israel said it killed a senior Hamas commander on Saturday in a vehicle strike inside Gaza City. The Israeli military called it a hit on a "key Hamas terrorist." Hamas's Civil Defence spokesman, Mahmoud Basal, told the BBC four people died and many passers-by were hurt by the blast. Local sources say the target was Raed Saad, a senior leader of Hamas's armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, and a key figure behind the October 7 attacks on Israeli communities. Saad is part of Hamas's new five-member military council, created after the ceasefire in October. Israel has tried many times to kill him, including a daring raid in March 2024, but he escaped. The attack happened along the so-called Yellow Line dividing Gaza, with Israel controlling half the strip. The strike relates to the wider context of the US-led peace plan by President Donald Trump. The first step aimed to recover hostages taken by Hamas in the October 7 attack that killed about 1,200 people. Most hostages are returned except for an Israeli police officer's remains. According to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry, over 70,000 Palestinians have died from Israeli military action since then. The peace plan now shifts towards disarming Hamas and setting up a temporary technocratic Palestinian committee to govern Gaza, with international security forces. Trump plans a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on December 29 to discuss the plan. Netanyahu, however, opposes the creation of a Palestinian state, making the path ahead uncertain.