- Palestinian officials say an Israeli airstrike has killed 10 people in the Gaza Strip, including three children and two high-ranking officers in the Hamas-run police force.
According to media report, a tent in the Muwasi humanitarian zone, which Israel has established, was struck early on Thursday. Here, amid the chilly and wet winter, hundreds of thousands of displaced people are taking refuge in tents.
According to hospital records, the general director of the Gaza police, Maj. Gen. Mahmoud Salah, and his deputy, Brig. Gen. Hossam Shahwan, were among the deceased. The Israeli military did not immediately comment.
Tens of thousands of police were part of the Hamas-run government in Gaza, which upheld a high standard of public order prior to the start of the conflict.
Israel’s targeting of the police has caused them to largely withdraw from the streets in many places, which has led to a collapse in law and order that has made it more difficult to deliver much-needed humanitarian relief.
However, locals report that Hamas security forces still patrol a large portion of the region in plain clothing, and the organization has not encountered any serious internal opposition some 15 months into the catastrophic conflict that was started by its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
On that day, terrorists led by Hamas massacred over 1,200 people, primarily civilians, and kidnapped about 250 more. At least a third of the approximately 100 hostages who are still inside Gaza are thought to be dead.
According to local health professionals, Israel’s offensive has killed over 45,000 Palestinians in Gaza, with women and children accounting for more than half of the deaths. In their count, the officials do not differentiate between combatants and civilians.
