Drone strike kills 3 in Gaza as Hamas prepares to transfer governance to new committee

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — An Israeli drone strike Monday killed three Palestinians who had crossed the ceasefire line near central Gaza’s Morag corridor, hospital officials said.

Israel’s military said the three approached troops and posed an immediate threat. They said they later found weapons and intelligence-gathering equipment on them. The strike came as Gaza awaits an expected announcement this week of a “Board of Peace” to oversee its governance.

Hamas has said it will dissolve its existing government once the new committee takes over the territory, as mandated under the U.S.-brokered peace plan.

The Gaza Health Ministry reports that more than 440 people have been killed since Israel and Hamas agreed last October to suspend their two-year war. Since then, each side has accused the other of violating the ceasefire, which remains in its initial stage as efforts continue to recover the remains of the final Israeli hostage in Gaza.

Israel’s military controls a buffer zone that covers more than half of Gaza, while the Hamas-run government retains authority over the rest.

Throughout the war, Israel has supported anti-Hamas groups, including an armed group in southern Gaza that claimed responsibility on Monday for the killing of a senior Hamas police officer in Khan Younis.

Lt. Col. Mahmoud al-Astal was gunned down in the Muwasi area, the Hamas-run Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Hamas spokesperson Hazem Kassem, in a post on Telegram on Sunday, called for a speeding up of the establishment of the Palestinian technocratic committee set to govern Gaza.

Hamas and the rival Palestinian Authority have not announced the names of who will sit on the committee and it remains unclear if they will be cleared by Israel and the U.S.

Officials say that Trump will announce his appointments to the Board of Peace in the coming days.

Under Trump’s plan, the board would supervise the new Palestinian government, the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of an international security force, additional pullbacks of Israeli troops and reconstruction. The U.S. has reported little progress on any of these fronts so far.

According to Turkish officials, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan participated on Monday in a video conference with the U.S. and others meeting to discuss “preparations for the second stage” of the ceasefire agreement. The talks, held as a continuation of a meeting in Miami at the end of December, also included officials from Egypt and Qatar.

Dozens of Palestinians, including medical workers, held a protest in Gaza City on Monday to demand the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners still being held in Israeli prisons. The protest was organized by the Palestinian Prisoners Committee outside the building of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza City.

Meanwhile, groups that advocate for Palestinian prisoners said that Israeli authorities have confirmed the death of a detainee from Gaza.

In a statement Sunday, the Prisoners’ Affairs Commission and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said that Hamza Abdullah Abdelhadi Adwan died in prison on Sept. 9, based on information the family received from the Israeli military. Israeli military officials said Monday that its police force will investigate and send their findings to the military prosecutor’s office for review.

Adwan, 67, a father of nine with serious health problems, had been detained at a checkpoint on Nov. 12, 2024. Two of his children were killed in the Gaza war.

Since the start of the war, 87 Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli prisons — including 51 from Gaza — according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Affairs Commission. They said that more than 100 detainees — some not yet identified — had died of torture, starvation, medical neglect, and abuse.

Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press reporters Sam Metz and Audrey Horowitz in Jerusalem, Suzan Fraser in Ankara and Maryclaire Dale in Philadelphia contributed to this report.

Find more of AP’s Israel-Hamas coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches across an area in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Medical staff take part in a protest organized by the Palestinian Prisoners Committee calling for the release of prisoners held in Israeli prisons outside the Red Cross headquarters in Gaza City Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Family members of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails and medical staff take part in a protest organized by the Palestinian Prisoners Committee calling for their release outside the Red Cross headquarters in Gaza City Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Medical staff take part in a protest organized by the Palestinian Prisoners Committee calling for the release of prisoners held in Israeli prisons outside the Red Cross headquarters in Gaza City Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Medical staff take part in a protest organized by the Palestinian Prisoners Committee calling for the release of prisoners held in Israeli prisons outside the Red Cross headquarters in Gaza City Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

A PWHL official said Wednesday that there have been constructive conversations in potentially teaming with the NHL's Ottawa Senators to secure its women's hockey franchise a long-term future in the Canadian capital.

The discussions center on the Ottawa Charge playing home games at the Senators' arena, the Canadian Tire Centre, PWHL senior VP of business operations Amy Scheer told The Associated Press. The Charge’s future is in Ottawa is uncertain beyond this season due to the city going ahead with renovations that will reduce the team’s current home’s capacity by about 2,000 seats.

“We’ve got a long ways to go to figure out where we are for the future of Ottawa, but the relationship with the Senators has blossomed,” Scheer said during a video conference call.

She referred to Senators president and CEO Cyril Leeder as being “a gem to work with.” Scheer and league officials also met with Senators owner Michael Andlauer while attending the women’s tournament at the Milan Cortina Games last month.

The PWHL has already established a partnership with the Senators, with the Charge scheduled to play Montreal at the Canadian Tire Centre on April 3.

“The game is selling really well, so hopefully that’s the first of a really positive road for us to skate down,” Scheer said.

Leeder looked forward to the Senators hosting the game, and further discussions with the PWHL.

“We can confirm we’ve had positive dialogue with the PWHL and the Ottawa Charge, which is consistent with our desire to grow the game for women, men and youth in our Ottawa-Gatineau community,” Leeder said in a statement the Senators released to the AP.

The Charge were one of the PWHL’s original six franchises, and have spent the first three seasons playing at the city’s centrally located TD Place, which is also home to the Ontario Hockey League's Ottawa 67s. The aging facility has a capacity of about 8,500 for hockey but the renovation will reduce seating to about 5,700, with an additional 900 standing-only spots.

The PWHL said the cuts make it financially unfeasible to stay at the arena. The Charge averaged about 7,000 fans per outing over the first two seasons, with that number jumping to 7,225 over the team’s first nine home games this year.

Scheer previously said the league was exploring all options, including the possibility of relocation. “We will not go backwards,” Scheer said in November.

The PWHL expanded to eight teams this season, with plans underway to add 2-4 teams for next season.

The Senators' home arena is located about a 40-minute drive outside of downtown. The team, however, is in the early planning stages of building a new home closer to downtown.

AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey

Ottawa Charge's Kathryn Reilly, left, celebrates her teammate Alexa Vasko's goal during the first period of an PWHL hockey game in Ottawa, Ontario, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press via AP)

Ottawa Charge's Fanuza Kadirova (centre) spins around as she celebrates her goal on Seattle Torrent goaltender Hannah Murphy (83) during the first period of an PWHL hockey game in Ottawa, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press via AP)