At least nine Palestinians, including a 10-year-old boy and a senior Hamas police commander, were killed in separate Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, according to Palestinian health authorities and Hamas-run police officials.
The latest deaths bring the number of Palestinians killed since the Israel-Hamas ceasefire took effect in October to more than 1,100, Gaza health officials said. Although the truce significantly reduced large-scale fighting, sporadic violence has continued, while Israel says four of its soldiers have also been killed during the same period.
Hamas’ Interior Ministry said Colonel Mohammad Marwan Salem, commander of the Jabalia police force, was among those killed alongside several other police officers in an Israeli strike in northern Gaza.
Israeli forces have intensified operations targeting Hamas security personnel and police facilities in recent months, with Palestinian police sources reporting that dozens of officers have been killed since October.
Israel has repeatedly insisted that Hamas must relinquish control of Gaza and disarm as part of any lasting settlement. Hamas has indicated it is willing to give up administrative control of the territory but continues to reject demands to surrender its weapons.
In a separate incident in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, an Israeli airstrike killed a 36-year-old man and wounded three others, according to local medical officials. The Israeli military said the strike targeted a Hamas militant.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the reported incidents in Jabalia or Rafah.
The latest violence comes as Hamas officials hold talks in Cairo aimed at advancing the second phase of a US-backed ceasefire proposal supported by President Donald Trump.
The negotiations are focused on Hamas’ disarmament, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and efforts to secure a broader agreement to end the conflict. However, sources familiar with the discussions said little progress has been made in recent weeks.
Hamas maintains that repeated Israeli military operations and alleged ceasefire violations remain the main obstacle to advancing the second phase of the agreement.
The war has displaced nearly all of Gaza’s two million residents, many of whom are living in overcrowded tents or damaged buildings along the coastal enclave.
The conflict began after Hamas-led militants launched a cross-border attack into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, according to Israeli figures. Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since the war began.
Goodness Anunobi
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