Gaza police chief killed in Israeli strike as ceasefire tensions escalate
The Israeli military confirmed the death of the northern Gaza governor, citing his membership in Hamas’ military wing, while separate strikes claimed five other lives in the enclave.
Brigadier-General Abdel-Nasser Al-Maqadma, the head of the Hamas-led police force and governor of northern Gaza, was killed in an Israeli air strike on Saturday in the Sheikh Radwan area north of Gaza City. The Israeli military stated that Al-Maqadma was also a member of Hamas’ military wing, a designation that underpins Israel’s recent campaign against the security apparatus in the enclave.
In separate operations across the territory, five other Palestinians were reported killed. A medic died in an attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp, while two individuals were killed in a house in Khan Younis that Israel’s military said was targeted to eliminate a member of the Islamic Jihad group. Additionally, high school student Khaled Al-Breim was killed in a later strike in Khan Younis while he was collecting sweets to celebrate his graduation with relatives.
A sixth fatality was recorded on Saturday when a policeman, who had been wounded in an Israeli strike the previous week, succumbed to his injuries. These deaths bring the total number of casualties attributed to Israeli attacks since the US-brokered ceasefire agreement in October to more than 1,180 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, alongside four Israeli soldiers.
Hamas has accused Israel of deliberately targeting the police force to destabilise Gaza, describing the strikes as a breach of the October truce. The ceasefire has been widely described as mostly ignored by Israel, with dozens of members of the Hamas-led police force killed in recent months on allegations of ties to the group’s armed wing.
The ongoing violence underscores the fragility of the current security arrangement in Gaza. While Israel maintains that the police force represents an active threat due to its alleged links to Hamas’ military operations, Hamas contends that the systematic removal of police leadership is a strategic move to undermine governance and security in the region.
