At least eight Palestinians lost their lives during recent Israeli military operations across the Gaza Strip, according to hospital reports. The casualties include a four-year-old boy killed during a drone strike in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City, where the Taj Mall was also struck by fire.
In a separate incident in southern Gaza, an Israeli drone targeted five Palestinian police officers in al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis. “In the last couple of hours, a group of law enforcement officers patrolling al-Mawasi … to protect displaced civilians was targeted.
The Palestinian Ministry of Interior and National Security stated that these officers were performing their routine duties when they were struck.
The ministry has described the event as a horrific massacre and is urging the international community to exert pressure on Israel to prevent further lethal targeting of police personnel. The ministry condemned the “horrific massacre” and called on the international community “to take urgent action and exert pressure” on Israel to stop its killing of policemen.
Official records from the ministry indicate that at least 75 police and security officials have been killed by Israeli operations since a ceasefire with Hamas was established in October last year. Conversely, the Israeli military has asserted that the strike in the south was intended to target a specific individual they identified as a terrorist.
Hamas issued a formal condemnation of these latest developments, characterizing the actions as deliberate war crimes.
The organization stated that the systematic targeting of police officers serves to destabilize Gaza, obstruct recovery efforts, and sow general chaos. Hamas further denounced the bombardment of Gaza City as a continuation of the ongoing conflict, alleging that international inaction regarding these events only serves to embolden the occupation. “This is yet another chapter in the ongoing series of Zionist atrocities against our Palestinian people … a continuation of the genocidal war whose tragic unfolding our people are still enduring,” Hamas said.
The humanitarian toll in the region remains severe. In addition to the casualties confirmed on Sunday, another individual succumbed to injuries sustained in a previous strike. Reporting from Gaza City, observers note that daily reports of lethal attacks have become a constant reality despite the US-brokered ceasefire that has been technically in place for over a year. According to “It’s hard to remember a day gone by when we haven’t, On deadly attacks across the Gaza Strip,” said Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza City. According to “An hour on from that attack … in the heart of Gaza City, three people were, Killed – including a father and his three-year-old son – who were walking down Revolution Street,” he said, adding that Israeli attacks have not stopped despite the so-called “ceasefire” in place for more than a year.
Since that ceasefire took effect last October, more than 1,500 people have been killed in ongoing military activity. Data provided by the Gaza Ministry of Health shows that at least 74,594 Palestinians have died since the start of the conflict in October 2023, which was prompted by the Hamas-led offensive in southern Israel.
