An Israeli airstrike on Sunday killed a senior officer in the Hamas-run Palestinian internal security service alongside an associate as they traveled in a vehicle through Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, according to medics and local police officials. Medics and the Hamas-run interior ministry confirmed the strike killed Colonel Wael El-Ledawi, who headed the internal security service in central Gaza, and Major Ramez Abu Zraiq.
The Israeli military acknowledged conducting a strike targeted at a Hamas militant, though it did not provide further specific details.Israel has targeted and killed dozens of Hamas-affiliated police personnel and senior officials in recent months, alleging that many serve within Hamas’s armed wing and pose active threats to Israeli troops inside Gaza.
Hamas has condemned the repeated strikes on its police units and administrative offices, asserting that the attacks are designed to disrupt public order and create anarchy, while also breaching the U.S.-brokered October ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. Health officials in Gaza report that more than 1,190 Palestinians—predominantly civilians—have been killed by Israeli strikes since the ceasefire went into effect. Hamas rarely releases official casualty numbers for its combat forces.
While the truce ended large-scale offensive operations, frequent strikes persist across the enclave. Four Israeli soldiers have been killed by Gaza-based militants during the same post-ceasefire timeframe.Following two years of military operations initiated after the October 2023 attacks on southern Israel, Israeli forces effectively control roughly 64% of the Gaza Strip. The vast majority of Gaza’s 2 million residents are now concentrated along a narrow coastal area, largely living under Hamas administration in temporary shelters and damaged structures amid severe humanitarian conditions.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/
